Earth Angel
by Defcon-Leppard
Summary: Hello and welcome to the Story! I hope you enjoy. This follows an ongoing RP I'm doing with a close friend: AKA CyberNinjaPanda on here as well! Meet my OC Lori, Movie!Ironhide's half-human daughter! This story very loosely follows the movies. This posting will contain lemons, DA postings won't if you want to read the "clean(ish)" version. Dialogue key on Chapter 1 if you need it.
1. Chapter 1: Meet Lori

**A/N: This _very_ loosely follows the movies. There will be some of the events. Also several characters not found in the movies.**

 **"Within quotes is normal dialogue."**  
 **" _Within quotes and italicized is dialogue in a different language, such as Marc speaking French; also singing and loud yelling._ "**  
 **( _Within parentheses and italicized is Cybertronian dialogue._ )**  
 **[Within brackets is comm. link chatter.]**  
 **[ _Within brackets and italicized is comm. link chatter in Cybertronian and/or in another language, i.e. Marc speaking French._ ]**  
 **:Within colons is texting.:**

 _Diary Entry 1…_

Dear Diary,

Welcome to my mind, paper. At the time of this entry, I'm 10 years of age. I'm not your run-of-the-mill 10-year-old, though. I'm incredibly mature for my age. And smart. So smart I scare people, even my mom. My mom is an angel with an AK, she don't take crap from anybody. She once told me that anybody did include my "deadbeat" father who vanished before I was born and never bothers to show up. I don't know the guy, but I'm guessing he's a jerk. I can tell you I'm an even combo of my folks- tough as nails, and not entirely caring. I mostly keep to myself; don't have many friends at all. Don't really need friends when I have _Rockband_. I get lost in the music. I master each edition of the game in a matter of days. I don't own every edition, just the coolest bands: Van Halen, Bon Jovi, The Beatles, those bands. My few friends (and I have just enough for a full band), come over and we jam. Gina and Tess are my guitar girls and backup vocals, Alex is my drummer, and I'm always lead guitar and lead vocals. We play for hours, only taking food and bathroom breaks. Probably wouldn't make my old man proud, but Mom encourages me. I even took up guitar lessons. A real guitar feels so good in my hands, and it's much more satisfying to play. Maybe I'll be a rockstar one day. Maybe my old man will see me on stage being the little string-shredding Queen I am, and regret not having a hand in raising me. I don't know. Maybe I'll just be another boring citizen in an endless ocean of boring people. We'll see.

Love,

Lori

 _Diary Entry 2191…_

Dear Diary,

Being 16 is nothing like it was promised to be. I'm tall, skinny, and somehow buff. I'm not popular in any way, and I lost all my friends to another high school. I'm alone. It's not too terrible, I can tune out the tide of idiots and conformists with god ol' Rock-N'-Roll. Mom's become a total homework-hawk, so my grades are straight A's. I've graduated from acoustic to electric guitar, so I've been blowing out the cheap-o speakers at the house. Now I have to get a job to buy new ones… and an amp for myself. Problem is, who's gonna want a tall, buff chick in their store, some place that specializes in bug-out supplies and the "Zombie Apocalypse?" What, am I gonna be their badass babe who knows her shit? That could work, but then there's the flood of perverts who'll want to get to know me better. Gross.

Love,

Lori

 _Diary Entry 2922…_

Dear Diary,

I'm "all grown up" now. As in, I get into fights and win. I had my first throw-down yesterday. Not in school, of course. I'm smart enough not to get my ass suspended. My opponent left the scene crying like a baby. It's my senior year, the home stretch. Forever alone except for my music. I managed to reconnect with my _Rockband_ -mates… but it's not the same anymore. They melted into the "norm." They're not my buddies anymore. We ended it all; such a shame. They're going to look back on it and cry. I was great to them. Now I'm hell-bent on becoming a star. Just so I can make them realize just what they let go. They're no better than my mysterious old man. The guy is probably never going to confess himself. I'd probably just beat his ass anyway. He deserves it.

Love,

Lori

 _Present day…_

Lori had grown up to be the Alley Scourge of her city; she easily overpowered anybody who got in her way. She'd grown out her hair, and how it looked like a thick tide of ebony thread, which she usually tied back in a high ponytail, and it hung down to her lower back. Her striking blue eyes had darkened to a haunting azure, made all the more chilling by her pale complexion. She was still muscular, but it looked attractive combined with her 7' 2" height and frame. On the side, she was the lead singer and guitarist for "Apocalypse Entertainment," a band she'd founded her freshman year of college; weeks later, her mother had been diagnosed with Stage-4 Lung Cancer and died mere months after Lori's 18th birthday. At the time, her freshly made band took care of her, keeping her from absolutely losing her mind. Lori was really alone, except for her band. But now, the band was starting to not really be there for her. Josie, her drummer, was getting ready to quit because she was engaged. Trent and Marc, her backup vocals and guitars, were being scouted by recording firms. Amelia, her synth jockey, was going to college and couldn't afford to keep playing on the side. Lori was going to be entirely alone for the first time, and she was terrified.

As she sat down in a street-side café, Lori took a shuddering breath, fighting back the urge to cry. She kept enough composure to order a coffee with four shots of espresso, but then finally gave in to her breaking heart. She lowered her head and sobbed quietly. No friends, no family, Lori had nothing left to fight for.

Across from the café, in the local knife shop, a tall, muscular male figure leaned on the counter, watching the Alley Scourge cry. It was entirely out of character for the heartless woman. His eyes lit up, scanning her. Under her tight-fitting black tank top and cut-off jean shorts, her body was a patchwork of scars and fresher injuries from her fights, but these weren't causing her pain. She was grieving, more behavior that was very unlike her. She possessed incredible strength, taut muscles, and a short temper. Scanning deeper, the figure found something else, something the woman clearly didn't know:

The Alley Scourge was half-Cybertronian.

"Barricade to Megatron," the figure said, pressing a button on the radio-comm in his ear.

" _Megatron here; what do you want, Barricade?_ "

"Sir, remember me telling you about the Alley Scourge?" Barricade asked.

" _You mean that human female that can fight?_ " Megatron asked, uninterested.

"That's the thing," Barricade answered. "She's only half human. The remaining half of her genetics is Cybertronian." There was silence on the other end for several minutes.

" _How is that even possible?_ " Megatron finally asked with disbelief thick in his grisly voice.

"I'm betting she's got an Autobot for a parent," Barricade speculated.

" _Only they would be foolish enough to allow such a monstrosity to live,_ " Megatron snapped.

"This is where it gets complicated," Barricade said. "She doesn't even know. She believes she's entirely human. I doubt she knows her Autobot parent. But such would explain where she gets her strength and temper."

" _She must have other traits that would expose the fool who had a hand in conceiving her,_ " Megatron replied.

"I'm willing to investigate," Barricade lied.

" _If that disgrace tries to attack you, kill her._ "

"Yes, sir, Barricade out," Barricade muttered. He would do all he could not to. He was befriending the Alley Scourge. Under her shroud of violence, she was a sweet, friendly person- the first to ever show him kindness. Lori also seemed to be changing him… he hadn't actually seen his leader in months, only talked to him from time to time.

Lori finished her coffee and ordered an Italian soda and sub sandwich. While she waited, she glanced over at the knife shop. She'd bought many a blade there, and was becoming friends with Cade, the clerk who always seemed to be there. As it so happened, Cade was stepping out of the shop. Lori wondered if he was going on one of his secretive breaks. Once Cade was across the street, Lori waved. Cade stopped for a moment, confused; he smiled when he finally recognized it was Lori waving and waved back. He sat down with Lori and ordered a Pepsi on ice.

"I finally see the mysterious Cade on a break!" Lori teased.

"It was getting stuffy in the shop," Cade replied. "I do like fresh air, you know." Lori giggled, but her reddened eyes betrayed happiness.

"I needed some fresh air too," Lori said.

"Hey, are you all right?" Cade asked softly. "I've never seen your eyes so red."

"The… the band's breaking up…" Lori said sadly.

"The Alley Scourge won't get to sing anymore?" Cade asked in genuine shock. He'd seen her perform, she had an intoxicating voice.

"That's just a nick name… my name is Lori." Tears were welling in her eyes. Cade put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but it wasn't enough. Lori closed her eyes, and tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Well, Lori, to help you feel better, come on over to the shop for a free knife. I saved a special one away for you." Cade picked up a napkin and dried Lori's tears.

"You're too kind, Cade," Lori said with a sad smile.

"Well, you're my best customer," Cade said. "I want to keep you coming back." Lori giggled again as her order arrived. She split her sub with Cade, because it was far too big for her to eat on her own.

A little ways down the street, Optimus Prime monitored the interaction between Lori and Barricade. He didn't personally know Lori, but was aware of her genetic makeup and was determined to protect her from the sidelines. He knew she was a violent person, but he felt that she could be taught to use her power for good. He was yet to figure out which of his teammates was her father, but based on her looks, he could guess. So far, Lori and Barricade were doing nothing more than discussing the best metal for knife production. Optimus guessed Lori was a frequent customer to the knife dealer across from the café she was at. On occasion, both would erupt into a fit of giggles, usually because they caught one staring at the other. He was listening, with interest, to their discussion when his comm chirped.

"Optimus here; go ahead," he said flatly.

" _Still watching out for Lori?_ " Ratchet asked on the other end, his tone amused.

"I have nothing better to do," Optimus defended evenly.

" _Careful, if that little fireball figures out you're watching her, she might lash out at you,_ " Ratchet warned.

"I highly doubt she could hurt me," Optimus said.

" _She's sent several men to the hospital_ ," Ratchet added.

"She has the upper hand on any human who bothers her," Optimus replied, "but Barricade is similar to her; he might even be able to overpower her." In all honesty, Optimus doubted that. He'd observed that Barricade did his best not to be aggressive around Lori.

" _If you say so,_ " Ratchet said. " _I might 'accidentally' run into Lori so I can get a sample of her DNA. I'm curious to find out who her father is, and if he's different from whom I'm suspecting. Ratchet out._ " Optimus wondered if he and Ratchet were suspecting the same Autobot. He wasn't upset more than he was amused about the situation. He turned his attention back to Lori and Barricade, who were finishing their lunch. Lori's face was no longer red and blotchy from her brief crying session; in fact, she wore a bright, lively expression. Somehow, Barricade had cheered her up. That frightened Optimus a little; if Barricade was nice enough to Lori, he might talk her into joining the Decepticons.

Lori slapped a $20 bill on the café table and wrote "Keep the change. " on the bill. Cade chuckled at her cheesy little note.

"You think you could have done better?" Lori teased.

"You're just being cute," Cade replied.

"You dare call the Alley Scourge cute?" Lori demanded, rising. The glint she got in her eyes when she was displeased appeared. Cade cringed; Lori held her glare until she spotted a flame-accented big rig out of the corner of her eye. Her conscience told her the 'rig was a threat. Cade noticed it too.

"Let's go get you your knife, Lori," he said nervously. Lori nodded, and she followed Cade across the street.

In the knife shop, Cade practically skipped behind the counter, knelt down, and brought up a long, slender box. He set the box on the counter for Lori to open. Lori slit the cardboard flaps and lifted the upper half of the box away. Lying in a blanket of light green cellophane was a beautiful carbon-steel sword with roses, thorns and all, etched into the blade. The sword's handle was wrapped in real leather, which also had roses on it, but painted on. The leather had been treated with a sealant, which would keep the painted roses vibrant. Lori ran a fingertip across the blade, noting the razor-sharpness of it. She smiled as she traced the etchings.

"I take that smile as a sign you like this sword?" Cade asked.

"Where did you find it?" Lori's voice was a faint whisper, because she was almost speechless.

"I was doing inventory in the back, and when its photo popped up, I knew you had to have it," Cade said. "So as a token of our budding friendship, I took its price out of my paycheck and set it aside for the perfect time to give it to you." Lori's eyes began to shine, not in heartbroken tears, but happiness.

"This… this is amazing," she said listlessly.

"It's yours," Cade replied. Lori grinned.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"I recommend you take it home before my boss realizes I paid for it and gave to you," Cade said.

"Your boss mean?" Lori asked. Cade nodded, and was distracted enough that he almost didn't hear the chime that alerted him to the door opening. They both turned to look at who had entered, and then Cade's face turned white.

Megatron, in a holoform, had just entered.

"Hey… uh… Uncle Mark," Cade greeted with a nervous smile.

"Are you busy?" Megatron asked. His voice was still grisly, but was a touch smoother in the holoform. He eyed Lori with the best pokerface Cade had ever seen.

"He was just finishing helping me," Lori answered, shooting Cade a tiny smile.

"So that makes me no longer busy," Cade added. Lori packed up her sword and turned to leave, but Megatron put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She froze mid-stride, slightly startled.

"You seem familiar, have I seen you before?" Megatron asked.

"If you've seen the Alley Scourge send stupid men to the hospital, then yes," Lori answered calmly. "Or perhaps I was on stage with 'Apocalypse Entertainment,' my band?"

"Ah, that's it," Megatron said. "You have formidable performance skill."

"Thank you… uh…"

"Mark," Megatron said. Cade could tell that his leader was softening to Lori. He silently thanked Primus for such.

"Well, Mark, did you know your nephew is a smooth-talking knife salesman?" Lori asked in a teasing tone. Some color returned to Cade's face.

"The Alley Scourge is a frequent customer," Cade said. "I wonder what knife or sword she doesn't have in her huge collection."

"What can I say?" Lori asked. "I've got a weakness for sharp, pointy things, and Cade here makes it that much easier to buy them."

"At least he found a job that suits him," Megatron said.

"It the best I could do at the spur of the moment," Cade replied.

"Anyway, thanks for the sword, Cade," Lori said, "but I need to get home. It's been a long day and I have a few more scratches to patch up. There was a high pervert who couldn't get it through his smoke-choked skull that he wasn't my type this morning. See you later." With that, Lori turned and exited the shop, sword cradled in her arms. Megatron turned to Cade, amused.

"She's not so terrible, is she?" Cade asked, relaxing a little.

"Have you personally seen her fight?" Megatron asked. Cade shook his head. The only way Cade knew she had been in a fight was when he caught her side-stepping out of an alley, limbs crisscrossed with shallow cuts and scratches, and droplets of other peoples' blood on her hands.

"The smell of blood never lies," Cade replied.

"She could make a formidable Decepticon," Megatron muttered; he had seen her fight once, and knew she could be merciless.

"You really think so?" Cade asked. He didn't want share Lori; she was his friend, not theirs.

"I've seen her fight," Megatron answered. "Her Cybertronian strength coupled with her human flexibility makes her a virtually untouchable opponent to other humans."

"So… would you like me to 'pop the question' when I see her next?" Cade asked, feeling jealousy bubbling inside him.

"If you think she'll accept, by all means ask her," Megatron replied. "I just wanted to see what you were up to. I'll see you later."

"See you later, sir," Cade said. Megatron nodded, and then left the shop himself. Cade muttered sourly, trying to figure out a way to keep Lori away from his team… even if it meant him going rouge and ignoring the Decepticons altogether.

As Lori strolled to her truck, she felt the rather annoying feeling that she was being watched. She looked around, eyes narrow. She kept this up until her arms began to feel sore under the weight of her sword. Her truck, a Ford SVT F-150 Raptor painted sleek silver, was parked a few feet away, and she practically jogged to it. She jumped in and gunned the engine, making it roar. Throwing out of park, she sped out of her parking space… almost hitting a pedestrian crossing the road. The brakes and tires screeched as her foot pumped the pedal to keep from skidding. Lori's Raptor came to a halt merely inches from a very startled Cade.

"Cade! My god, I am so sorry!" Lori cried as she jumped out of her truck. Cade relaxed from his freeze in terror, chuckling softly. At 6' 6", he was a good 8" shorter than 7' 2" Lori.

"Nice truck," Cade finally said. His eyes were getting a lovesick sheen to them.

"You're not mad I almost splattered you all over the road?" Lori asked, smirking at Cade's look.

"I would be pissed off at anyone but you, Lori," Cade answered.

"You okay, Cade? You look a little out of it." Lori restrained from laughing.

"Well, considering I was almost in the grille of your truck, I suppose I am a little out of it," Cade answered. "Did I tell you that you look extremely nice today?" Lori wasn't wearing anything different than her usual getup of a black racer-back tank top, cut-off jean shorts, and tall lace-up combat boots. She could tell right then and there Cade had a massive crush on her, if he was thinking her daily "uniform" was prettier than usual.

"You do realize I haven't done any changes to my outfit… right?" She asked, fighting off laughter. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? You're looking a little warm." She placed a hand on Cade's forehead, feigning concern. Cade's knees almost buckled.

"Maybe I should go home and lie down… I suddenly feel lightheaded," Cade replied.

"Do you live close by?" Lori asked.

"I live in the next county over." Which wasn't entirely true, but not a lie either; he had a hideout in the neighboring county.

"You take a long drive to get here?" Lori demanded. "I won't have it. I live 20 minutes' drive from here. You can rest at my house. Come on, get in." Lori escorted Cade to her truck's passenger door, helped him in, and got into her truck herself.

During the drive, Cade kept his true form at a great distance just to avoid making Lori nervous that a police car was following her. She entertained him with a lively conversation describing her tough life starting from her awkward childhood up to the breaking up of her band. As Lori spoke, she could see Cade's eyes glaze over to a lovesick shine.

And so Cade's and Lori's relationship bloomed.

Several months into Lori's time with a boyfriend and no band, she found herself wondering about her father again. It wasn't surprising; in times when Lori was relatively happy, she would wonder if her mysterious father might be proud of her. She knew he wouldn't be too happy about the fighting and all, but maybe if he'd just _been there_ -

Lori forced the venomous thought from her mind. Surely her father had a reason for being gone… right? For all she knew, he could very well be dead. Or maybe he'd had a one-night-stand with her mom, split, and didn't know he was a parent. Hell, maybe he was the one watching her, waiting for the right time to show up-

"Lo, you're brooding." Cade's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked at him, looking so nice by candlelight, and smiled. The candles were his idea; _home dinners just aren't romantic enough without them_ , he'd said the first time he'd set them out and lit them.

"I am allowed my own thoughts, Cade," Lori replied calmly.

"I know, but the silence is getting awkward," Cade said. Lori giggled. Clicking a button on a nearby remote, she powered on the incredibly fancy sound system she'd been able to buy with her earnings from the better gigs her band had done… needless to say, she still had six figures in her savings account. The powerful music of Bon Jovi blasted from the speakers until Lori reduced the volume to a more tolerable level for dinner.

"There's nothing wrong with silence now and again," Lori teased.

"At least you're not sulking," Cade remarked. Lori bit her lip. If not for Cade being so caring to her, supporting, and downright sweet, she probably would be sulking. It hurt to have broken up her band; all the gigs, the laughter, the music, the pranks they'd pulled on each other, all of that had been real, and to not have any of that anymore ate away at Lori's heart like rabid teeth. If not for Cade, she'd probably have cried herself to sleep every night, only to wake up with a hellish headache and lingering memories.

"You see to that," she said after sifting her meal around while thinking. Point of fact, he'd given her another reason to leave her house other than for grocery runs or paying utility bills. With nothing else to do, Lori had lately been staying home and surfing the internet for hiring bands or any other job she might qualify for. If not for the need for food, house luxuries, and Cade, she might have become a total recluse and holed herself up. Well, along with the fact that her wardrobe was not the best thing to wear in a city full of perverts and junkies.

"I've had to tell my boss that you're not dead every two or three weeks," Cade joked.

"Eh, you can tell him my skin and scars are not the kind of thing I should be letting this population see," Lori replied.

"I know that's not the real reason," Cade pressed.

"It's one of the several reasons I hide here," Lori answered. It would be nice to have better-fitting clothes, but given she was 8 inches taller than her "normal" boyfriend, clothing that actually fit her nicely were pretty much impossible to come by.

"Well, I miss our café dates," Cade sniffed. Lori couldn't help but laugh.

"I could order custom-tailored clothes, but that can get expensive," Lori muttered. She'd been raised to conserve her money, not blow it on fancy clothes.

"I could lend you my loose stuff," Cade offered.

"Cade, you know as well as I do none of your clothes will ever fit me," Lori politely declined.

"Can you explain to me how we got to this subject?" Cade asked abruptly. Lori opened her mouth to answer… but found she didn't have an answer to give. Instead, she gave in to a fit of giggles that quickly escalated to full-on laughter. Cade found himself joining in her laughter, until both had fallen to the floor and had tears streaming from their eyes.

"This is why I'm so glad I almost fed you to my truck," Lori said after she'd calmed herself. "You make me laugh to the point I forget why I'm not happy."

"Well, an unhappy Alley Scourge is dangerous," Cade teased. Lori made a face as she got up.

"Since meeting you, I haven't gotten into any fights," she reflected. "This is my chance to put that bloodstained past away for good."

"I have a dark past too," Cade said softly. After they'd officially dated, he'd wholly ignored the other Decepticons, even stopped wearing a comm link in his holoform.

"Maybe the desire to put away those pasts brought us together," Lori guessed. Cade shrugged. Lori looked out her window with a distant shine in her eyes. Outside, dark clouds had begun to cluster.

"Looks like rain," Cade muttered. "I'd better get home."

"Alright," Lori replied softly, eyes still trained on the window. She turned and gave Cade a quick little kiss on his cheek. Cade reluctantly turned on his heels and headed out the door. He could sense Lori was feeling troubled, but he knew better than to pester her about it.

A few weeks later, Cade leaned on the cashier desk of the knife shop, almost literally bored out of his wits. As much as he would have loved to stay with Lori, he was an official employee, and did not want to think of the shame of being fired. One; it would be embarrassing, and two; it would piss Lori off to no end… he was afraid to tread those waters. So here he stood, in the quiet store, trying to maintain his sanity.

He was starting doze off when suddenly the door chimed. He looked up to see none other than Lori running into the shop, visibly upset. Her hands were bloody, and he could see a long cut across her stomach. His first reaction was surprise, given that Lori never freaked out. But surprise quickly turned to downright concern as he stepped out from behind the counter to get a good look at Lori's cut.

"Babe, what happened?" Cade asked hesitantly. Lori took a shaking breath, but didn't reply. "Sweetie, Lori, talk to me." He put one hand on her shoulder and another on her waist to steady her a bit.

"Officers… off-duty… tipsy… made me angry… I… I killed them!" Lori said, most of her words garbled by her panic and trauma. Cade, now afraid, assisted her to the breakroom so he could help her calm down. He also grabbed the first aid kit off the wall and pulled out the roll of gauze so he could patch his sweetheart up. He muttered reassuring words to her in a soft, gentle tone as he wrapped the gauze around her abs. Lori eventually began to calm down, enough that her breathing had smoothed out and she stopped shaking.

"Hon, are you ready to tell me what happened?" Cade asked softly.

Lori nodded. "I was leisurely strolling over here, in a pretty mild mood…" she trailed off to keep herself from crying all over again. "About halfway here, I heard a drunken wolf-whistle. I dislike wolf-whistles in general, but for some reason, I get set off by ones with drunken undertones.

"I turned down an alley to investigate, my mild mood ruined. Just inside the border of the shade, I came across three off-duty police officers. I started mouthing off to them that being drunk was gonna get their asses fired, but they'd had enough booze that they didn't care. Thinking they were still sober enough to overwhelm me, they rushed me deeper into the shadows. I can only imagine that they thought I was the drunken one, and that I was going to assault them, so they drew their guns. Being armed with only my favorite Bowie, I thought fast and kicked all their pistols out of their hands. I drew my knife and started backing out of the shadows, but the officers came after me on three sides. Somehow, one of them got a hold of my hand I held my knife with and tried to take it from me. I cut myself in the stomach wrenching my knife away. All the time, they were throwing insults and accusations at me, getting me steadily angrier. Once I'd gotten my knife back in its sheath, something inside me snapped, and my mind went blank. I don't know how much later, but when my mind cleared, all three officers were lying at my feet, necks twisted and cut deeply; their blood was on my hands. I was panting as if I'd run a marathon, and I was shaking like I'd never be warm again. I remembered I was hurt, so I hauled ass here…" Lori couldn't choke back her sobs any longer, and leaned on Cade's shoulder, letting out all of her pent-up emotion. Cade gently wrapped his arms around her, stroking her scarred back. He could feel her shaking again, so he tried to soothe her by singing gentle, sappy love songs softly.

"Need me to take you home?" he asked once she stopped shaking again.

"No, I can manage," Lori replied quietly.

"Alright, but I'm going to come check on you when I get off, okay?" Cade redid Lori's ponytail so she didn't look too frazzled.

"I couldn't have asked for a more caring boyfriend." Lori planted a small kiss on Cade's jaw. She slowly picked herself up and made her way out of the shop, pulling down on her shirt in a futile attempt to cover up the gauze she now wore. Cade cleaned up the breakroom quickly and carefully, not wanting his boss to come in and find it a mess. He would probably get a chewing out from his shift manager, but he'd taken care of what mattered to him most: Lori first and foremost.

Later that evening, when Cade made true on his promise to check on Lori, he could hear her playing guitar. He smiled to himself, glad she wasn't so upset she couldn't pick up the instrument that had gotten her through life. He gently knocked on the wooden door, so as not to startle her. The gentle rhythm stopped, and moments later the door opened. Lori was clad in her favorite (though small-fitting) pajamas, ones that had the Bon Jovi band logo printed all over them, and a bath robe; she'd wrapped fresh gauze around her cut as well. She'd taken down her hair, so her ebony-black locks partially shrouded her face. She gave a weary smile and let Cade inside.

"Are you doing better?" Cade asked, watching her drop back onto her couch.

"Yeah, thanks," Lori answered as she packed up her guitar. Cade set himself down next to her, and slung an arm around her broad shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder in return, letting him run his hand through her hair. She closed her eyes, appreciative of the reassuring petting. Eventually, Cade felt her head slipping, a good indicator that she was asleep. Being extremely careful, Cade picked Lori up and carried her into her room. The space was minimally furnished, with a bed, dresser, and nightstand. The closet, which housed Lori's sparse wardrobe selection, was set within the opposing wall, and the remaining walls were decorated with Lori's most prized knives and guitars. On Lori's dresser sat a dust-caked jewelry case, within which was Lori's mother's highly valuable necklaces and earrings, Cade knew as Lori had once told him such. He gingerly set Lori down on her bed, being slow so as not to wake her. He brushed her hair out of her face and pulled the comforter over her, and was tempted to plant a small kiss on her cheek, but knew she hadn't been asleep long enough not to be woken by such. Instead, he wrote her a gushy love note, complete with X's and O's, and slipped out of her house. Under any other circumstance, he would have promptly left, but given how far away from the dense city Lori lived, and the fact that neighbors were also far away, Cade found himself looking up at the night sky, at the stars twinkling in the velvety darkness. He imagined that somewhere, millions of miles away, Cybertron was flourishing again; he'd left in a time when the war had torn it apart. He'd seen it in its heyday, the peaceful, prosperous, hospitable home he knew… he wanted that back.

"What was I thinking?" He asked himself softly. Joining the Decepticons had seemed like such a good idea all those years ago, but now, here on Earth, it was beginning to be the worst decision he'd ever made. All the years of fighting, all the bullets and punches, why hadn't those been his reality check? Why, for all it had done, had nearly being hit by Lori's truck made him think about the choices he'd made? The strike would not have physically affected him, after all she wouldn't have actually hit him, his holoform was easily deactivated, but perhaps he would have had some mental trauma. He looked back at Lori's house, now dark and unnervingly quiet, and sighed. He deactivated his holoform and casually returned to his cave hideout in the neighboring county, where he slowly slipped into recharge.

The next morning, Lori didn't want to get up; her head hurt, as did her cut. She would probably have to see a doctor, as much as she didn't want to. Yesterday had been uncharacteristically dramatic, Lori much preferring peace and quiet to fighting. She carefully got up, making sure to avoid pulling off the gauze around her waist. She decided she wouldn't leave her house until she didn't need to wear the gauze, because she didn't want to give any perverts ideas. She shuffled to her living room to grab her phone and called Cade.

"Morning, love-bug," Cade swooned. Lori giggled, knowing Cade would have some way to get her out of her sore mood.

"Morning, Cade," she answered.

"Will I see you today?" Cade asked hopefully.

"If you come over after work, love," Lori answered. "I prefer not to walk around in public injured."

"Another dinner date, then," Cade replied. "What would you like?"

"Funny, Cade, very funny," Lori said. "I'm making pizza tonight, so bring your favorite toppings."

"That sounds fun!" Cade meant it, too. He particularly enjoyed human food (when he was in holoform, which was quite often these days) that he could customize to his liking.

"I'll see you tonight, then," Lori purred.

"Love you, Lori-loo," Cade cooed, making Lori laugh.

"Love you too, bye, Cade," Lori cooed back, and then hung up.

Through Lori's bugged phone, Optimus and Ratchet had listened to whole conversation. They felt both amused and unnerved, simply because of how cutesy Lori and Barricade had spoken to each other.

"I think I have a plan as to how I can get close to her," Ratchet muttered. Knowing Lori was staying home, and that she was apparently wounded, was the perfect opportunity to get a sample of her DNA.

"What do you have in mind?" Optimus asked.

"I was considering passing for a mailman with Guitar Center flyers for her, noticing her bandaging –if it's visible- telling her I have first aid training, and properly tending to her injury. Instead of throwing away her used bandages, I would just take them with me; discreetly, of course." Ratchet activated a holoform dressed in mail carrier attire.

"Excellent idea," Optimus said, nodding in approval at Ratchet's holoform. Ratchet deactivated the holoform, went into vehicle mode, and casually drove out of the hangar.

Upon arrival at Lori's home-after multiple wrong turns and getting lost, Optimus would approve of Lori's remote location-Ratchet hid his true form in a nearby bank of trees, activated his holoform, grabbed the Guitar Center flyers, and walked to Lori's front door. He hoped she was still awake as he rang the doorbell.

"I ain't buyin'," Lori muttered as she opened her door. She was fully dressed, but the gauze wrapped around her waist was fully visible.

"Good morning, ma'am," Ratchet greeted smoothly. "Are you interested in some coupons for Guitar Center?" He noticed a sad flicker in her eyes.

"I'm not interested, but thank you," Lori politely declined. Ratchet acted like he was going to say something as his eyes drifted to her bandages.

"Oh, my goodness, what happened to you?" He asked with genuine concern.

"I'd prefer not to discuss that," Lori replied.

"I have some first aid training; would you mind if I did a better job wrapping you up?" Ratchet offered, noting just how sloppy a job Lori had done.

"I guess…" Lori said, looking a little startled. She opened her door, and gestured for him to come in.

"My friends call me Rick," Ratchet said as he stepped into Lori's expansive house.

"I'm Lori." She extended a hand, and Ratchet shook it. Lori stepped into her bathroom, and came out moments later with a big reel of gauze, placing it into Ratchet's hand.

"Go ahead and sit down," Ratchet said, gesturing to her couch. Lori still had a not-entirely-trusting look, but dropped onto the couch as casually as she could. Ratchet knelt to the floor beside her, getting to work on the gauze around her waist, he unwrapped it gently. When he got a good look at the cut, he had to hold back a gasp. The cut went across her waist entirely, and was deep enough to need stitches. What was this woman thinking, not seeking proper medical attention for a wound so serious?

"Yeah, yeah, I know it's bad," Lori muttered sourly, as if she could read the medic's mind.

"This cut should be stitched up by a doctor," Ratchet muttered back. He so very badly wanted to, but knew Lori would be suspicious if he offered to do so.

"I'm managing just fine," Lori hissed. "I don't need your advice. Just wrap me up and be gone."

"Alright, but you really should let a doctor see this," Ratchet said as he took the fresh gauze and wrapped it around the serious cut. When he finished, he made a show of stepping into her kitchen to make her believe he was throwing away the old gauze, but very discreetly slipped it into a hidden pocket of the shirt he wore.

"I'm sorry for being rude, so thank you." Lori sighed. Ratchet felt pity for her. It couldn't be good for her to spend so much time alone, and to not have any parents to care for her.

"You're welcome, miss," Ratchet replied. He gave a small wave goodbye and stepped outside. His plan had worked. He returned to his true form, placed the visibly bloody gauze in the glovebox, and deactivated his temporary holoform. It had been awkward using a slightly different holoform, but had done so assuming that soon she would meet him with her father, if who he was suspecting turned out to be just that.

When he returned to base, he promptly placed the gauze in an analyzer. He could pick out the differences in her human and Cybertronian genes, and then focused on the patterns in her Cybertronian genetics. He compared the patterns to each of his teammates, even himself, until he found the closest match.

And, to no surprise, the matching pattern belonged to exactly who he'd suspected all along:

The Autobot weapons specialist, Ironhide.

Ratchet chuckled softly to himself. Breaking the news to both of them was going to be a most interesting experience.

By the time Lori felt comfortable enough to stop wrapping gauze around her waist, she had yet another scar among many. No doubt she was a terrifying sight to behold. She had held true to her word and hadn't left her house, so now her pantry and fridge were looking empty. She needed to make a store run; she had no doubt it going to be quite boring. Sighing, she grabbed her truck's keys and strolled outside. The sleek, silver truck had a thin film of dust gathered on it that dulled the usual shine, reminding Lori of just how long she'd been holed up. She would wash it after she returned from the store.

As she expected, grocery shopping was rather boring. Her truck bed was soon filled wall-to-wall with plastic bags; all non-perishable items were in the bags, but all the fridge and freezer items were in a special insulated compartment that would keep everything cold for hours on end, because she knew she would probably get tied up doing something and forget about them. Her own point was proven when she was yanked into a shadowy alley by two guys that reeked of various drugs. Lori took care of them easily with uppercut punches that all but shattered their jaws. She stormed out of the alleyway, royally pissed off. She continued her angered march until she ran into a man ever so slightly taller than she was.


	2. Chapter 2: Narrowly Avoided Fight

**A/N: Enter Ironhide! Let us be treated with the first meeting of father and daughter!**

Ironhide was already in a sour mood, and didn't take too kindly to the girl running into him. He growled low and muttered at her "Watch it."

The girl spun around to face him. "You wanna go, Jarhead? Bring it!"

"That's cute," Ironhide scoffed. But his annoyance turned to curiosity as he got a good look at the girl.

She looked much angrier now. "Nobody calls me cute… What the hell are you looking at?" She put a hand on a rather large sheathed Bowie knife. Ironhide's expression hardened when he saw her hand move. He didn't take kindly to being threatened and was ready to teach this girl a lesson, but he knew he'd never hear the end of it from Ratchet or Optimus.

"I thought it was obvious that I was staring at you," he replied smartly. He eyed her hand that hovered over her knife, then back into her fiery eyes that seemed to mirror his own. "I wouldn't try it," he warned.

"I'm not scared," the girl snapped. "I've sent plenty of fools to the hospital with this Bowie… the blood on it is still fresh."

"And I've sent plenty of fools to the hospital with my bare hands," Ironhide shot back.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" the girl taunted. "I'm not afraid of you." For a moment, she took her hand away from her knife so she could retie her long jet-black hair. Her aggression was intriguing Ironhide; it seemed like all she wanted to do was fight even though she was the one who ran into him and technically "started" it.

"More or less, it was meant to make you back down," Ironhide replied sharply. "But since you're not taking the hint, I guess I have time to teach you a lesson." He'd started preparing when a new voice made him freeze.

"Ian, knock it off!" Ratchet stepped in between him and the girl.

She smirked. "Well, looks like you can't show me how ' _supposedly_ ' badass you are."

Ironhide glared at Ratchet with pure annoyance, but flashed a cocky grin at the girl. "You can just consider yourself lucky."

"Me?" She scoffed. "Lucky, ha, you should be the one considering yourself lucky." At that moment, Barricade's holoform stepped out of a nearby knife store, and he looked quite pleased.

"Oh, Lori, our new shipment came in! There's a sword you simply must see!"

The girl looked pleased with herself. "Be there in a sec!" she crossed her arms with her own cocky grin. "At least somebody appreciates me." Her taunting made Ironhide's hand twitch for his own concealed weapon, but Ratchet was pulling him away. He muttered "whatever," under his breath. The girl laughed, spun around tightly, and practically skipped to the knife shop where Barricade was. But now Ironhide could see her back, which was a roadmap of scars and slightly fresher injuries, all easily seen since she was wearing a racer-back tank top. He stopped in his tracks. It was obvious the girl was a fighter, but there just too many scars for his liking. He wondered just what the woman had gone through. He ignored Ratchet's tugged as he stared after with an unreadable expression.

The girl stopped halfway through the door, looking annoyed all over again. "I can feel your stare! My scars are from all the fights I've gotten into. Pavement is not very nice to land on."

"I guess you not that good of a fighter if you're getting thrown around so much." It was Ironhide's turn to smirk. "Come find me if you want any real pointers." He turned with a nonchalant wave, hoping to get her curious about his skill.

"Oh, please," the girl scoffed. "Thrown around; it's from several idiots who would have been very happy if I'd stayed down. But I'd get right back up to beat them with inches of their lives." Her voice softened. "But my newer scars are from a fainting spell…" That little fact made Ratchet stop now. All his previous observations had shown her as healthy. What would cause a fainting spell in her? But Ironhide wasn't thinking about the details.

"Maybe you should get some help, kid," he muttered. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Please, as if you could help me. Why the sudden nice tone, you feeling pity for a stressed out, hostile lady? Give me a break." She stepped into the knife store with a gasp. "No way… Cade, is that…?"

"Awesome, isn't it? Your two favorite things combined into one, fully functional both ways!" Ironhide heard Barricade say. He continued to walk, inwardly wondering what weapon Barricade was showing the girl when Ratchet pulled him out of his thoughts.

"She has a point; you're never nice," Ratchet commented as he caught up with Ironhide.

"She reminds me of myself," Ironhide muttered as he halfheartedly shrugged.

Lori stepped out of the knife shop looking and feeling much better, happier even, with a broad smile spanning her face. She had what appeared to be an electric guitar strapped to her back. She was humming an upbeat rock tune, all but skipping. She passed through the park, where Ironhide also happened to be.

Ironhide was at a picnic table, with various gun parts spread out across a cloth. He was cleaning the pieces and had a small radio playing when he heard the humming of a song liked. Looking up, he spotted the hostile girl from earlier.

"So you can smile?" He asked playfully. "I though you wore a permanent snarl."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Only when I'm in a bad mood, but that's nothing good music can't fix." She stroked the neck of her guitar. A random wolf whistle passed through the air, and she tensed. "I really the men sometimes…" Her hand hovered over one of the fret markers, which looked ever so slightly different from the others. Ironhide tore his eyes from the stunning instrument, and glared in the direction the whistle had come from.

"We're not all bad," he assured. "The guy who gave that to you isn't bad." He momentarily chuckled at the irony of that statement. "I take it you play, are you any good?" The girl smiled once again.

"I'm damn good," she answered, "I had a band… but we broke up. I always thought it would be a good way to show up my mysterious old man, since the deadbeat never showed up in my life. I live alone, and it's not easy… especially when I live a dark side life as the Alley Scourge."

"That's tough, kid," Ironhide said soberly. "Doesn't sound like you've had an easy road, but look at it this way; you've become stronger because of it. Hell, so strong you can send people to the hospital daily." He chuckled, trying to get her back into her cheery mood before she'd been whistled at. Thinking of how she'd said good music could fix anything, an idea came to him. "I may not be your deadbeat father, but I'd sure like to hear you play." The girl though for a moment, then grinned. She unstrapped the guitar, tuned it, and then began to play "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses. A huge smile spread cross Ironhide's face, and it turned into a happy laughed as the girl played. As he nodded his head to the beat, he thought to himself, _she's good_. As she finished the song, she regained her relaxed composure.

"Now for the awesome part…" she trailed off as she placed her hand back over the slightly different fret marker, pressed it with a noticeable _click_ , gripped the very top of the guitar, and slid a slender sword out of the guitar's neck. "Dually functional; if anybody messes while I've got this baby… well, let's just say it's gonna hurt."

"Oh, shit!" Ironhide actually jumped when he saw the blade pulled out of the guitar, not expecting such. "Damn, kid, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" He got up and around the table to get a good look and the gleaming carbon-steel blade.

"It was ordered in special for me at my favorite knife store," the girl remarked. "It looks a bit like another of my axes, and I have quite a few." The same wolf whistle came again, only this time it was followed by a voice.

"Can I get in on this action?"

"Why I oughtta…!" The girl's eyes seemed to flash as she whipped around, in the process smacking Ironhide with her long ponytail and nearly slicing the random person's neck open with her blade. "Back off, jackass, or next time I _will_ aim for your goddam throat and _won't_ miss!" as the startled man fled, the girl turned back to Ironhide, suppressing a giggle when she noticed him spitting out, or trying to at least, strands of her hair.

"Jeez, kid, your hair is a weapon in and of itself," he joked as he made sure there was no more hair in his mouth.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "So anyway, who was your buddy earlier?"

"He's an old friend of mine who tries to keep me out of trouble, but he's not very good at it," Ironhide answered. "But going back to that sword of yours, are you a collector or something of blades? I recognize that Bowie from earlier, you have a favorite knife store, and now you're nearly beheading jerks in the park. Got a thing for sharp objects?" He was considering showing her his own collection of custom made blades.

"My knife shop buddy asks me what blade I don't have every other visit," the girl answered. "Luckily, my house is big enough that I have a whole room dedicated just to blades, and another just for guitars."

"I bet those rooms look like heaven," Ironhide commented, clearly impressed. "Can you wait here for a sec?"

"Sure," the girl replied, shrugging. Ironhide quickly walked over to his true form (in vehicle mode of course), and grabbed a large roll up bag from the back. When he was back at the table, he quickly cleaned up his gun mess and rolled out the bag, which was full of his own blades, all varying sizes, and handmade by him. He picked up a decent sized blade that had a bullet with angel wings for the handle, and had "Hell on Earth" engraved on the blade.

"This one's my favorite," he said, watching the girl's eyes widen with delight.

"Wow… I'm impressed," she said softly as she sheathed her guitar sword. "You've got a cool truck, too. I think you got me beat on custom blades… 'Hell on Earth' reminds me of my favorite AC/DC song." She began to hum the chorus happily. Ironhide chuckled, very much enjoying the girl's company.

"I have guns too, unless you're not into those…?"

She shrugged. "Too noisy for me… this is ironic since I once blew out three high quality amps in six months. I'm not too fond of the kick-back, either. At least with a knife I can feel it doing its lethal job. It's kinda satisfying… in a creepy sort of way." Ironhide was beginning to really like this girl.

"You've got a sick sense of humor, kid, did you know that?" Ironhide nudged her playfully. "But it's cool with me, I've got one too. We've got a few similarities."

"I guess we do," the girl muttered, chuckling softly. Suddenly, somebody grabbed her from behind and spun her around. This attacker was big and burly, but still shorter than she was.

"Nobody threatens my people… those who do pay," the attacker snarled. "Your payment is gonna be fun for me."

"I am not in the mood for this bullshit," the girl said in a deadly low voice, eerily similar to how Ironhide occasionally spoke when he was incredibly angry. She swung a clenched fist and caught the man in the jaw with a wet snap, but he didn't let go of her. She swore under her breath, clasped her hands around his waist, and effortlessly vaulted him over her, looking quite furious. As he picked himself up, looking utterly stunned, the girl took and defensive stance. Ironhide thought _damn, she's strong_ , but felt it was still wrong for a guy to beat up on a girl, regardless of the fact that this particular girl could very easily turn the guy into a bloody pulp. Before she had a chance to continue fighting, Ironhide grabbed the guy and lifted him off the ground by the collar of his shirt.

"Listen, you little punk," Ironhide snapped. "Didn't your Pa ever teach you how to treat a lady? Beat it!" He roughly shoved the visibly frightened man away.

"I could have snapped his neck you know," the girl hissed, looking slightly annoyed. But then, her voice dropped to a whisper. "I did that to a trio of cops a few months back…" she blushed in shame.

"I know you could have, but you can send him to the hospital next time and I'm not around to so for you… Wait; you killed those cops?" She'd said snap their necks, right? Ironhide blinked in surprise.

"They… they were off duty, a little tipsy… and… well… they pissed me off." She looked down. "And I mean _really_ pissed me off. If I get to a certain point of anger, I go blank. The next moment I knew, they were on the pavement, necks twisted… I didn't mean to, but they pushed me too far!" she shut her eyes, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Ironhide didn't know what to think of this new fact, however, he could relate.

"It wasn't your fault, kid," he assured. "I have a very similar anger issue, and you don't wanna be the person I let it out on. My friend from earlier usually gets me out of those fits, but you gotta remember, you were defending yourself." He didn't want to push the boundary, but he placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl smiled sadly at this gesture of comfort, and noticed the scars on his hand.

"You're an ass kicker too, eh?" She sighed. "Welcome to the club… Has anyone ever told you you'd make a great dad? My mom would have loved you… she was one badass, short-tempered woman. Anytime I'd come home with a report of getting bullied, she'd find the bullies' house and give them one hell of a bitching out." Ironhide gave a hearty laugh.

"That must have been a show!" He pictured a tiny human mother defending a younger version of the girl. "From the sounds of it, though, you have a lot of your mamma in you; you don't take shit from anyone, and have a short temper." He smiled, but then answered her question, "But I've never been told I'd be a good dad… probably because I can just see myself jacking it up."

"At least you'd be there for your kid," the girl muttered, looking annoyed again. "My father never was; I doubt the damn guy even knows I exist!"

"Well, it's his loss," Ironhide said. "He missed out on raising a great kid."

"It would have been great… had I not made such a dark name for myself." The girl sighed sadly. "My band was the only thing that was going to help put away my bloodstained nickname, but I guess that ain't happening. If anything, I'd scare the poor sap out of his wits." Both then noticed Ratchet walking up, and he was wearing a very smug grin. "… He looks amused…"

"That's never a good thing," Ironhide muttered in a low voice he knew only the girl could hear, and then faced Ratchet. "What's up, Ryan? Remember this spitfire from earlier? Well, check us out; we're getting along now… Hey, kid, what's your name? I don't think we were properly introduced."

The girl muttered softly, "I'm not surprised." And then spoke in her normal voice. "The name's Lori Azura… just Lori since my mom kicked the bucket."

"I'm sorry to hear that ki- I mean Lori," Ironhide said gently. "She raised one tough cookie. I'm Ian, and this is my friend Ryan."

"Nice to meet you both," Lori replied. "You just missed me nearly take some dumbass's head off, Ryan."

"That would have been a fun explanation to the authorities." Ironhide then whispered to Lori, "If they'd caught us, that is, but we would have been long gone."

Lori snickered, "Oh, yeah."

"Why am I not surprised that one minute you're at each other's throats, and the next buddy-buddy?" Ratchet asked, still looking very amused.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ironhide asked defensively.

"Whoa…" Lori's eyes darted between Ironhide and herself. "We're wearing similar tops… and uh… well, we're not 'buddies' just yet; we're just getting to know each other. We have some similarities, and it's pretty cool."

"I'm sure you could come up with more if you really tried," Ratchet said, raising a brow. "Though, I personally thought your looks said enough. Honestly, 'Hide, you can't be that simple-minded." It had been a while since Ironhide had wanted to punch the Autobot medic, but at that moment, that's exactly what he wanted to do.

"You really wanna piss me off, Hatchet?" he growled, since his good mood was getting ruined.

"Hatchet…?" Lori snickered.

"It's a nickname Ian likes to use," Ratchet answered.

"He earned it, but that's a story for another time," Ironhide said sourly. His mood was still a bit sore, so he busied himself with packing up his blades. Lori sized up Ratchet, looking somewhat unimpressed.

"You don't look that scary, weird maybe, but that could just be me," she muttered, crossing her arms.

"Long story short, let's just say that when he's mad, he never misses," Ironhide said, unconsciously rubbing his upper back. Ratchet smirked triumphantly.

"I'm still not scared of him." Lori shrugged. "Look at me; what do I have to fear? I tower over my boyfriend… and half the dumbasses in this city." The two holoformed 'Bots shared a look; Lori thought she was so tall, and they both found it funny since their true forms were much taller.

"Just what is so funny?" Lori asked, tapping her foot.

"Oh, nothing, just an old inside joke," Ironhide said. Lori rolled her eyes. Ironhide went to put his stuff away, leaving Lori and Ratchet to themselves.

"So…" Ratchet muttered. He was terrible at making small talk, and wished Ironhide would hurry back.

"What?" Lori asked, slinging her guitar-sword over her shoulder.

"I see you have a guitar… are you in a band?" Ratchet asked.

"I was… we broke up," Lori answered with a sad, longing sigh. "I was lead singer and guitarist." It was obvious this made Lori upset (and was probably what had caused the saddened flicker in her eyes when he had visited her incognito), so naturally, Ratchet wanted to try to make her feel better.

"You were lead vocals and guitar?" He remarked. "That must mean you're good. Couldn't you found a new band, or take over another one? With skills like yours, it shouldn't be too hard, should it?" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a sketchy looking duo approaching Ironhide, who was still putting away his weapons. Lori noticed this too.

"Ian, you've got company!" She yelled, pulling a pair of throwing knives from her pocket. She launched the individual knives at the duo, hitting them both in the lower back. Ironhide turned around, noticing the two downed men with knives in their backs, one of them was also holding a pistol, and gave Lori a smile and thumbs up. Ratchet's reaction, however, was quite different.

"Are you out of your mind!?" He snapped. "You can't just throw knives into peoples' backs!" He sprinted to the duo, giving them medical attention.

"They were gonna hurt him," Lori huffed. "I had to slow them down!"

"Trust me when I say he could have handled it," Ratchet muttered in annoyance. Ironhide ignored the medic, and nudged a knife deeper into one of the duo's back, making the guy cry out in pain.

"Serves those punks right," he growled softly as he made his way back to Lori. "Guess we're even now, eh?" he asked her.

"I guess so," Lori answered with a smile.

"And thank you."

"No problem," Lori said. "It's a personal rule of mine to never leave home without a few throwers. You never know when you're gonna need 'em."

"Smart girl; you're definitely going places in your life," Ironhide complimented.

"If I can put my darker side behind me…" Lori said sadly. She then noticed something. "Okay that is kinda creepy… We both have black hair, blue eyes, and muscular builds…" Ironhide looked at himself and her, noticing the same.

"Yeah, so what, lots of people have black hair and blue eyes," he said, trying not to think about it too much. "You probably work out, and so do I. What's so creepy about it?" This conversation had reached Ratchet, but he stayed at a distance to see how it would play out.

"But what are the chances that we're both scarred up bruisers and ass-kickers?" Lori pressed, her eyes widening. She had a point, Ironhide had to admit.

"What are you trying to say?" He asked carefully, now taking in all the details.

"You were quite amused earlier…" Lori said, looking directly at Ratchet. The medic strolled up, looking innocent.

"I'm allowed to smile," he replied calmly.

"Something tells me there's more to this…"

"Naturally, but I believe Ian will provide better answers once he puts two and two together," Ratchet said, looking at a lost-in-thought Ironhide. "Let me help; Lori, what is your age?"

"I'm 23 years old a week ago…" Lori answered, starting to low-key freak out. Using this information, a possibility occurred to Ironhide… but that couldn't be; it was impossible. A glance at Ratchet confirmed his thoughts.

"Alexa…" he said, slowly looking back at Lori.

"You knew Alexa? Oh, my God… please tell me this is all a sick joke…" Lori looked like she might faint.

"Alexa…" Ironhide muttered again as continued to stare at Lori. He could clearly see all her Alexa features, however, her father's genes proved to be much more dominant. "You're Alexa's kid? … Oh, frag, I need to sit down." He dropped himself on the picnic bench he'd been on earlier, when he'd been cleaning the gun.

"This is not happening…" Lori whispered, her face blushing brightly.

"I'm afraid it did happen, about 23 years ago," Ratchet confirmed.

"How is this even possible?" Ironhide asked, shaking his head slowly.

"You tell me," Ratchet answered. "You're the one who got involved with this Alexa woman." Ironhide glared darkly at him, but his expression softened as he looked back at Lori.

"Lori?" He asked gently. She was shaking her head as well.

"I can't believe I just openly insulted you so much," she remarked. "But still… how is this possible?"

"You wouldn't be who you are without some insults thrown in." Ironhide shrugged. "But as for 'how,' well… that's where things get a little complicated." He did a thorough scan of Lori, and picked up her Cybertronian side.

"If that's the case… before I get pissed off, why weren't you there for me my whole life?" Lori didn't want to be mad at him, Ironhide could tell.

"I didn't think I could get your mother pregnant," he started shakily. "And I never knew you existed. If I had…" He realized exactly what he'd missed out on, and felt himself being torn apart inside with regret. "There's nothing I can say to make things all right, but Alexa raised you perfectly. You're tough as nails, always prepared, talented, and you defend others. You get you anger issues from me, but you use it to your advantage." He tried to smile, but now he felt like such a deadbeat, and his smile was faltering.

"There's more to this story than you're letting on, I can tell," Lori said with a shaky undertone in her voice as well. "The same way I could tell those guys wanted to hurt you…" all the color drained from her face.

"There is more," Ratchet said, not noticing Lori's loss of color. "But for now, let just this be the big news for today. We wouldn't want you too overloaded with information."

"You okay, Lori?" Ironhide asked, noticing that Lori wasn't looking so good.

"I'm not sure…" Lori replied, swaying a bit. Naturally, now that he knew she was his, Ironhide felt protective of her, but Ratchet shoved him aside.

"I'm a doctor, let me help." Ratchet put a hand on her shoulder to steady her as she nodded. Ratchet did a thorough medical scan to pick up anything wrong with Lori.

"I'm just so… shocked, I guess," Lori stammered. "I thought my father was a low-life… and now I learn he's nothing short of badass…" She shuddered, feeling like an utter fool for behaving like an ass.

Both Ratchet's and Ironhide's worry instantly faded. In fact, Ironhide began to laugh warmly.

"Kiddo, you have yet to see how badass I am!" he declared as he slung an arm around his daughter. Ratchet simply rolled his eyes. Some of Lori's color returned as she giggled a bit.

"I can't wait to see my boyfriend's reaction," she joked. Ironhide felt like he hit a wall knowing this; it was a new feeling.

"I know I've barely come to realize I'm your deadbeat father, but I don't know about this boyfriend of yours," Ironhide warned. "Have I met him? Will I approve of him? Is he good enough for you?" Ratchet laughed at his reaction.

"Calm down, Papa 'Hide, you haven't been a father for five minutes and you already have restrictions," Ratchet commented. Lori laughed more, her cheeks getting rosy from her musical laughter. It reminded Ironhide of Alexa's musical laugh, making him that much closer to his daughter.

"Well, if you must know, it's that guy Cade from the knife store across the street," Lori answered after she'd calmed down a little. "He's the one who ordered this sword-guitar for me. He's such a romantic." Ratchet's merry expression slipped off his face, and Ironhide became visibly angry.

"Cade, from the knife shop, is your boyfriend?" He demanded in a deadly low voice. "Perfect, now he's given me a real reason to kick his ass!" He stormed off to his truck, whose engine had roared to life when Ironhide had yelled. Lori's face twisted in confusion, and she raised a brow.

"… Did he not hear the 'such a romantic' line?" She asked, tilting her head. "Cade is a lovesick fool over me. More than likely because I damn near ran his ass over…"

"As interesting as that story would be, that's not why he's mad," Ratchet explained. "We know Cade, and well, we're nothing short of enemies. … So, should I stop you father or do you want to?" He watched Ironhide practically tear across the street toward the aforementioned knife shop.

"You might want to…" Lori trailed off, looking a little crestfallen. "I'm his daughter after all; he might not listen to me now."

"You might be the one person he will ever listen to," Ratchet remarked. He was about to start running to catch up when he spotted a flame-accented semi speed down the street to cut Ironhide off. "Well never mind, I guess I don't have to stop him either."

"Is that a friend of yours?" Lori asked, looking at the shop worriedly. "That's a nice big rig he's got." But inwardly, Lori remembered the semi from the day the band had broken up.

"Our boss and our friend," Ratchet replied. He could hear Optimus order Ironhide to stand down via comm link, as he didn't want a big fight to break out in the city. Ironhide was fuming, but he listened and returned to Ratchet and Lori.

"Jeez, you nearly killed the one guy who buys me enough chocolate to last three life times," Lori complained. "He also buys me loads of roses and plush animals; I have a mountain of plush animals in my room. Cade is my hopeless romantic."

"You clearly know a different Cade than we do," Ironhide muttered. "Anyways, I don't know how to say this, but Cade and I have been known to duke it out in the past. His crowd and mine don't mix." He couldn't help but think about what Lori had said about plush animals and want to use that as blackmail.

"I would love to hear this story," Lori remarked. "As for all those gifts, you want to see my house? You might as well live there, it's been lonely at night, and you are my father." Suddenly, she was almost tackled to the ground by a flash of black leather, but she kept her footing. Lo and behold, the person who nearly took her down was none other than Barricade, who looked utterly terrified.

"Thank goodness you're okay, Lori! I almost got attacked…" Barricade trailed off when he caught sight of Ironhide and Ratchet, and all the color drained from his face. The drastic difference in height between him and Lori was almost comical.

"Feeling lucky, punk?" Ironhide threatened as he popped his knuckles, grinning.

"We've got the numbers now, Cade," Ratchet added, smirking with his eyes narrowed.

"Cade, my darling, meet my father…" Lori sighed. She draped her arms around Barricade's shoulders and rested her head on top of his. "I won't let him hurt you."

"Your father…?" Barricade stammered. Ironhide couldn't believe Lori was defending the 'Con, but would never hurt her, so lowly growled at Barricade. Ratchet looked like he wanted to say something, but knew Ironhide wasn't going to attack when he shouldn't either.

"I dare you…" Lori challenged, holding Barricade tighter.

"I'll just beat his ass when you're not around," Ironhide snapped.

"Don't even think about it," Lori shot back, "He'll tell me, won't you, Cade?"

"You're too sweet, Lori…" Barricade whimpered. Ironhide had to resist the urge to gag. He wasn't fond of couples being all cutesy around him.

"It's not very manly to have your woman fight your battles, is it, Cade?" He taunted. "Come on, let's have a little sparring match, just you and me; this way I can kick your ass and show my daughter just how badass I am!" Barricade only cringed in fear, seeking comfort in Lori's grip.

"I've changed, Ironhide… I won't fight you," he finally replied. Lori looked downright confused. "Oh, slag…" Barricade covered his face with his hands at what he'd let slip, realizing that Lori had no idea what was going on.

"Explanations; now," Lori demanded, looking ready to punch Ironhide herself, was she not occupied with Barricade. Ironhide gave the 'Con the death-glare.

"You just keep giving me reasons to beat you silly," Ironhide sneered. "It's just a nickname, Lori." He tried to look innocent, but Lori looked like she was no longer buying it.

"It's kind of like yours, the Alley Scourge," Ratchet interjected, trying to play innocent as well. Lori winced at her infamous name.

"I'm finding it harder to believe you," she spat.

"Let's just say it's complicated…" Barricade warned.

"My _whole life_ has been complicated," Lori all but snarled. "I can handle a little more."

"Lori, none of us want to scare you," Cade tried gently, but this only made Lori angry.

"I am _not_ a child anymore!" she snapped harshly through gritted teeth. "I am 23 years old, _please_ treat me as such!" Barricade looked both afraid and concerned, and this was an odd site for Ironhide and Ratchet, but they would bring it up later.

"Lori, it's quite a bit to take in, we should do this slowly-"

"Nah, Ratchet, she deserves the truth." Ironhide cut Ratchet off.

"We need to run this by the boss," Ratchet softly growled. "Besides, we don't know what Cade's boss has in mind for her yet. I don't trust him because he's nice for her. I don't believe he's changed all that much."

"Do you promise not to freak out, Lori?" Barricade asked carefully.

"It takes a lot to freak me out," Lori huffed. "I want the truth; so long as we can stay together."

"I'd love to see your father let us…" Cade's voice wavered in fear.

"My house, my rules," Lori assured. "Unless he moves in…" She trailed off as she was lost in thought.

"You two are gonna make me sick." Ironhide rolled his eyes. "Anyway, if I have to move in to keep you out of trouble, then I will. But Cade, I think we should talk about this first."

"Yes, sir…" Barricade replied like a guilty teenager.

"If you move in…" Lori mumbled, "Aw, man, I won't get to freely run around my house in my Bon Jovi pajamas…" she sighed in early defeat.

"Kids… come on, Cade," Ironhide was smirking. "Ryan, entertain Lori while we have our talk." Lori reluctantly let go of Barricade, and crossed her arms.

"But I suck at small talk…" Ratchet complained. Ironhide put a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll do fine," Ironhide assured as he stepped a good distance away from Ratchet and Lori so they wouldn't hear. He then turned to Barricade with a hard expression.

"What's your gain in this, huh?" he demanded to the 'Con. "Why are you snooping around my daughter? Did Megatron send you to do this? What do you mean you 'changed?' Answer me!" He resisted the desire to punch Barricade since Lori could see them still. Barricade shuddered.

"None of that…" he began nervously. "Lori and I met a few months ago… She's got this huge silver truck she nearly ran my holoform over with, and when she came out to apologize… I haven't stopped being in love with her since. I haven't seen or spoken to the other Decepticons since Lori almost 'hit' me." He'd smiled at the memory of the incident. However, Ironhide found the lack of communication suspicious.

"Why would the 'Cons stop contacting you, are you rouge?" he asked.

"I ignore them," Barricade replied casually. "I don't want them taking Lori away from me… or you now."

"So you are rouge, because of Lori?" Ironhide pressed. For the first time, he felt that Barricade was being sincere. Of course, he wasn't going to let the now ex-'Con off the hook.

"All because of Lori," Barricade confirmed. "She's so kind, talented, amazing… She's brought out a side of me I never knew existed… I really love her. Have you heard her sing? Her voice is intoxicating. And she shreds the strings of her guitar. I wish I could be more like her… I'm tired of being allied with the Decepticons." Ironhide felt old listening to lovesick Barricade talk about his daughter. It was definitely a side he'd never seen out of the ex-'Con, but it did bring a sincere smile.

"She is quite amazing, isn't she?" Ironhide sighed, finally warming up to Barricade. "Okay, fine, since you no longer ally yourself with the Decepticons, I will allow you to date my daughter."

"Really…?" Barricade smiled hopefully. Ironhide was so tempted to say "no" and burst the little happy bubble around Barricade, but he didn't.

"Yeah, yeah, I wouldn't joke about something like this." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just know that if you ever hurt her, I will kill you; this is a fact. … Anyway, now for the hard part: how are we gonna tell her the truth about who we really are?"

"That's a good question," Barricade answered. "She claims we won't freak her out, but I doubt that."

"I guess we'll just see how this plays out," Ironhide said. "Let's get back to them… Ratchet looks like he's about to piss his pants." Lori had shown the medic the hidden sword in her guitar, and he had just realized that he definitely should not threaten her in any way, shape or form. Lori herself was trying not to laugh.

"I wasn't expecting such a reaction," she tried to apologize. "I promise not to use it on you."

"Well, I would hope not," Ratchet replied, having stepped a small distance from her and the sword she wielded. "You're a crazy one, that's for sure. And thankfully, they're back."

"Maybe I can just embarrass him with my pajamas," Lori mumbled. "So, are you on better terms now?"

"It's a rocky foundation," Ironhide answered, "but we'll see. Now, are you ready for the truth?"

"Yeah, I am." Lori nodded.

"Well, it's best not to tell you in public," Ironhide considered. "And it might be easier to show you. Do you know any nearby deserted areas?"

"The most privacy we're gonna get will be at my place," Lori answered. "Shall we?" She gestured in the general direction of her truck.

"I still say we run this by Prime," Ratchet complained, arms crossed. "Besides, her house isn't big enough."

"Be quiet, you old fart," Ironhide scolded. "I'd like to see her place. Lead the way, Lori."

"Ryan, my home is an old farm house in the county, so it's huge," Lori explained. She lead the little group to her truck, unlocked the silvery beast, jumped into its cab, and fired it up with deep, satisfying growl. "Come on in, there's plenty of room." She reached across the cab and popped open the front and rear passenger doors.

"Mamma raised you right!" Ironhide praised. He immediately jumped in the "shotgun" seat.

"I hope you guys like AC/DC…" Lori eluded, pushing a button the radio console. Their hit "Highway to Hell" began to blast from the speakers.

"You've got taste, Lori-loo!" Barricade commented, jumping into the back seat.

"Are you coming, doc?" Lori teased. Ratchet was irritably tapping his foot, arms still crossed.

"Fine, I'm coming!" He reluctantly agreed. "Move over, Cade." Barricade shimmied himself behind the driver's seat to let Ratchet in. Once the doors were latched, Lori pulled out of the parking space, happily singing along with the music. In the distance, so they wouldn't make Lori any more suspicious than she already was, Ironhide's, Barricade's, and Ratchet's vehicle forms followed. In Lori's truck, however, Barricade and Ironhide had themselves a good time singing along to the music with Lori while Ratchet just rubbed his head in frustration.

"Oh, quit being a grouch," Lori playfully whined. "Have some fun with us!" But Ratchet continued to stay in his crabby mood. Lori travelled down the highway for a few miles before taking the last county road exit before the major interstate junction. She stayed on the county road until the last left turn before national forest land, and down this lonely little road, which was really more like an extra-long driveway, Lori's large house could be seen. "And that's my humble abode… it's pretty lonely all the way out here, but I manage."

"I can totally see myself living here," Ironhide commented. "This is a cool place."

"Well, you being my father and all, you can if you want to," Lori invited. "It's been so lonely at night since the band broke up." Her smile faltered a little at that statement.

"I'll run it by my boss, but he should be fine with it," Ironhide assured. "Besides, if things are going the way I think they're going, Cade will always be visiting." This got Lori to laugh.

"Already protective, but you're right," Lori admitted. She pulled her truck onto the cement patch in front of a closed garage, and shut it off. "And we have arrived." She tried to sound like a peppy tour guide, but it came out sounding funny.

"Can we get a tour?" Ironhide requested.

"Sure," Lori agreed. "Come on." She jumped out as she pulled her house keys out of her pocket, leading the group to her front door. She opened her door, revealing her sparsely furnished living room- all that occupied the space was her couch and her complex entertainment system, which was her TV, sound system, and gaming console. The rest of the space was bare hardwood. "This is the biggest, emptiest room in the house… for a good reason."

"And that reason would be…?" Ratchet pressed.

"When the music is on, I'm dancing!" Lori answered with a grin.

"That'll be fun," Ironhide commented. "But where's that guitar and weapon room of yours? I wanna check that out!" Lori's grin widened as she led them down the main hallway, within which were five closed doors.

"First two on the left are where I'm storing gear," she explained. "Last one on the left is my room. First on the right is my guitars, and the second one is my blades." She opened each door respectively. In the guitar room, there were a few stands and open cases surrounding what appeared to be a covered piano, but all four walls were covered in wall-mounted axes; from acoustic steel string to bass to double-necked, Lori had them all, and each guitar was unique, no two were the same in body or color. In the knife room, the walls were covered in over 200 different knives, swords, and various other blades; some hung down, others sat in vertical mounts, and a few were ornately hung at fashionable angles. Ironhide's knees almost gave out in amazement, and Ratchet was mildly impressed. Barricade looked delighted as well, recognizing many of the blades he'd sold to Lori.

"Baby girl, I uh, I seriously need to hug you right now or something," Ironhide stammered. "These are precious paradise… I may faint." His voice was thick with pride for his daughter's collections. Lori blushed happily.

"Thank you, I worked hard to get all these," she said. "Though, a hug would be nice." Ironhide was undoubtedly excited to hug Lori. He'd felt jealous every time Barricade had shown her affection. Now that he had his chance, he would make sure Lori felt all his joy as he pulled her into a bear hug. "Love you too…" Lori struggled to speak as her chest was constricted by her overjoyed father.

"You know I'm never letting you go now, right?" Ironhide asked, voice ever so slightly faltering.

"I'm not one to argue," Lori replied. "I've been horribly lonely without mom. It's going to be great to have somebody in the house again." The two barely heard the soft click of a camera shutter.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Ratchet teased, stashing the offending camera before Ironhide had seen it. Lori had spotted it, though, and she laughed.

"Uh oh, Ryan's got blackmail!" She laughed more when Ironhide cursed under his breath.

"Hatchet, give me the camera," he ordered calmly, letting go of Lori.

"No," Ratchet answered, and booked it out the door as Ironhide gave chase. Lori had to lean against the wall she was laughing so hard.

"Are you enjoying your newfound family?" Barricade asked, eyeing the door cautiously.

"Yeah, actually," Lori admitted. "This is hilarious!"

In the distance, they could hear Ratchet yell, "Ow, motherfucker!"

Right after, they heard Ironhide laughing until he was suddenly cut off, and he asked, "Ouch! Did you just bite me?"

"Worked, didn't it?" Ratchet asked with a smug tone.

"Yeah, it sure did," Ironhide admitted. "Wait…" The sounds of aggressive slapping could be heard outside.

"And I thought my old 'buddies' were crazy," Barricade muttered. "They're crazier."

Lori shrugged. "The guys in my band did the same kind of thing. I'm used to it by now, but it's never unamusing." Suddenly, the loud sound of metal banging against metal could be heard, and the ground shook.

"Are you crazy, stop that!" Ratchet demanded, but the loud banging continued. "Ow, okay, okay, jeez, I get it! Put the damn tree back, and whip that smile off your face." Lori looked towards the direction they had gone, and raised a brow.

"What the hell was that…?" she mumbled under her breath. Ironhide and Ratchet soon returned, both a little dusty.

"Okay, where were we?" Ironhide asked, playing innocent again. Lori tapped her foot and crossed her arms.

"I do believe you were finally going to tell me the truth," she answered. "I get the impression that the sounds I just heard are involved." Ironhide and Ratchet looked at each other.

"Alright, Lori, let's take this slowly," Ironhide said carefully. "Cade, feel free to butt in whenever you want. … so, do you believe in aliens?"

"Sure," Lori answered with a shrug. "Humans cannot be the only highly intelligent forms of life in the whole of space. That would be depressing and ridiculous."

"That would be ridiculous," Ironhide agreed with a chuckle. "But how would you feel if you found out that they had been living around humans for a while, just in disguise?"

"Not surprised," Lori replied calmly. "We humans are crazy, and must be pretty entertaining to watch."

"That's true," Ratchet agreed. "Your species is very crazy."

"Are you telling me you guys are aliens…?" Lori asked, looking a touch skeptical.

"More or less," Ironhide answered.

"Well, that would explain my height and build," Lori remarked with a small nod.

"When you see how we really look, that will explain it more," Ironhide eluded. "Do you think you're ready for that or no? It's okay if it's too much too soon."

"I'm game," Lori decided. Ratchet noticed that she didn't look the slightest bit shocked; not wide eyed, afraid, not even the state of denial. She was so calm it was impressive.

"We'd better go outside, then," Ironhide replied. He led everyone outside, where his, Ratchet's, and Barricade's true forms were parked.

"Nice rides," Lori commented.

"They're not our rides," Ironhide explained, his holoform flickering a little.

"Holograms…?" Lori guessed.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ironhide confirmed, "but this is what we really look like." All at once, their holoforms vanished and the three vehicles in the yard transformed. Ratchet stood with his arms crossed, Barricade looked a bit nervous, and Ironhide knelt down to get closer to Lori. "This is what you Papa really looks like, kiddo." Lori had stumbled backward, startled. But now she was giggling like an excited young child might.

"Wow, awesome!" She managed to say. Ironhide smirked and set his hand out palm up to her. "I have the coolest dad ever!" She happily stepped onto Ironhide's hand. Ironhide carefully stood up and placed her on his shoulder. Lori grinned in delight.

"I know," he teased. "But my real name isn't Ian… I'm Ironhide. Ryan's real name is Ratchet, and Cade, well; I'll let him introduce himself."

"My full name is Barricade," the ex-'Con explained.

"You all have awesome names!" Lori exclaimed.

"You're taking this very well," Ratchet observed. He was ever so slightly nervous about Lori being on her father's shoulder.

"I did say it took a lot to freak me out," Lori reminded.

"She's definitely your kid, 'Hide," Ratchet said as he rolled his optics.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ironhide replied. "Anyways, Lori, I'm sure you've got questions so ask away." Lori's eyes darted to Barricade, the back to her father.

"So, what's the deal with you and Cade?" Lori finally asked. "Who did he run with before I met him?" Barricade looked like he wanted to blush, but couldn't, so he looked down in regret.

"On our planet, a civil war broke out," Ironhide explained. "Long story short, we were on opposite sides. He fought for the Decepticons under the rule of Megatron, while Ratchet and I fought with Optimus Prime and the Autobot Army."

"Is this still going on?" Lori asked.

"I left the Decepticons when I fell in love with you," Barricade said softly.

"Ever since I nearly ran over your hologram with my truck…?"

"Yeah," Barricade answered.

"So, I've changed you," Lori reflected.

"Ya'll need to stop getting all cutesy around me," Ironhide complained, shuddering. "I still see your boyfriend as a murderous 'Con. And yes, the War is still going on, but we're tolerating Barricade because he went rouge for your sake. Which reminds me; Ratch, wanna radio Prime and let him know about Barricade's allegiance?"

"Sure," Ratchet agreed.

"I can't help myself," Lori muttered with a giggle. "Now; you think your boss will be okay with this…? … And me…?"

"He already knows about you," Ratchet assured. "He's kept an eye on you before. He should be fine with you. Now, as for Barricade, I'm not sure."

"Wait, you and Prime both knew about Lori?" Ironhide demanded. "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"We didn't know how you'd react," Ratchet explained. "You get violent over the littlest of things, and besides, we weren't totally positive she was yours, we could only guess. We still stayed our distance so we wouldn't make her nervous."

"Now that you mention it, I think I did see your boss at a distance," Lori said.

"Was it a semi-truck with a flamed paint job?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah," Lori answered with certainty. "I really like the flames."

Ratchet chuckled. "I've told him they don't help him blend in, but I guess he really likes them."

"There's nothing wrong with standing out," Lori remarked. "Outside of school…" she added under her breath.

"Well, we're pretty good at standing out," Ratchet joked.

"No kidding," Lori agreed.

"You still want me to move in?" Ironhide asked.

"Of course," Lori answered. "The closest neighbor is five miles up the road."

Ironhide nodded happily. "Just let me get permission the next time I see Prime."

"Awesome," Lori muttered. She yawned, beginning to get tired.

"Oh, right," Ironhide said, gently setting Lori back on the ground. "We'll let you get some rest, kiddo."

"I'm not that tired," Lori protested, "It's just been a long day." She disproved her protest by yawning again.

"If you say so," Ironhide teased, able to see she was in fact quite tired.

"We should probably get going, though," Ratchet spoke up. "We still have a war to fight, and we still have responsibilities to attend to. Plus, we have to report to Prime. Let's go, 'Hide." Ironhide didn't want to leave, but knew Ratchet was right.

"Fine," he reluctantly agreed, "but here's a number you can call to get a hold of me if you need to, Lori." He handed her a slip of paper with a set of digits printed on it.

"Okay," Lori pouted. "Thank you."

"Are you staying, Cade?" Ironhide growled lightly.

"No, sir," Barricade stammered. "My next shift is in an hour."

"That works for me," Ironhide replied with a smirk. "Anyway, see you later, Lori." He gently placed a hand on her head.

"Bye, _Dad_ " Lori giggled. "You'd better get to work, Cade, I don't want you fired." Barricade nodded and transformed. Ironhide and Ratchet transformed as well. Ratchet pulled down the driveway promptly, but Ironhide did a quick donut around Lori, to briefly separate her and Barricade, before he left as well. Barricade reluctantly left too.

Lori laughed to herself; who would have thought she was half _alien robot_? She had an interesting life, indeed. She turned to walk inside, but remembered she had groceries in her (hopefully) normal truck. Once that chore was done, a thought crossed her mind; in the event that she ever had guests, her father would need a discreet place to activate and deactivate his holoform. She debated what room he could slip into to do so, and remembered that all the band gear was spread out across two bedrooms when it could be compacted into one. It took several hours and liberal amounts of swearing, but she got the job done. Noticing that the time was well past midnight, she quickly changed into her pajamas, dropped herself into her bed, and was out cold before she could feel the coolness of her pillow.


	3. Chapter 3: Meet The Boss (Part 1)

**A/N: I unevenly split up Chapter 3- mainly because DA didn't like it all together either.**

The next morning, Lori was jolted awake by a sharp knock on the front door. Rubbing her eyes, she shuffled to her living room to answer. She opened the door a little to find her father outside.

"Oh! Morning, dad…" She muffled a wide yawn, internally regretting staying up so late.

"Good Morning, Sleeping Beauty!" Ironhide teased. "Were you still in bed? Humans sleep too much." He looked highly amused by her pajamas and frizzed mess of hair.

"You jolted me awake with your door knock," Lori answered. "Are you coming in?" Ironhide nodded, and Lori opened the door fully. "So is your boss okay with you staying here? I thought about it a lot last night… kinda messed up how well I slept, so that's why I'm so tired." It was true; she'd woken several times in the night, troubled by how different her life was going to be, now that she knew who her father was.

"Don't be losing sleep over me, Lori," Ironhide chided. "Everything's fine. He's okay with it, I just gotta be checking in all the time, and be on standby for when I'm needed. I could be gone for days at a time if a mission calls for it. I also have to be careful coming here since we don't want the Decepticons finding out. It's risky, but I can handle it."

"How complex," Lori commented. "At least you'll be here sometimes." She walked into the kitchen, put coffee on, and started to make herself breakfast. "If I ever get to visit your boss, I have got to get better clothes tailored. The whole 'post-apocalypse-assassin' look might not go over so well."

"He's already seen you, so don't worry," Ironhide assured as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"True enough," Lori muttered.

"So… you have any plans today?" Ironhide asked.

Lori sighed tiredly. "Just another day of job hunting… I might still have lots of money from band gigs, but eventually it's gonna run out. It's not going to be easy with my height and frame… I scare people."

"Job hunting? I haven't had to do that in a long time." Ironhide chuckled softly. "What jobs are you interested in?"

"Most definitely nothing that involves sitting down," Lori replied. "Being still drives me crazy. Firefighting maybe? Anything involving action, really… except I have the sinking feeling nobody would want to hire somebody with my appearance…" The worst part of the modern human society, which Lori hated, was the ridiculous appearance requirements and dress codes. It wasn't her fault she couldn't meet those expectations.

"Appearance isn't everything, Lori," Ironhide remarked.

"Sadly, in this society, it is," Lori explained. "I seriously doubt any respectable company -other than _maybe_ the survival/bug-out store- will want a badass, assassin-type out on the sales floor. If I had the courage and discipline to be in the military, I would do that, but I'm only brave when I'm pissed off… and back to the whole clothing issue, I would need properly-fitting clothing custom-tailored. Ugh, being in a band was so easy!" Every day, she prayed that the forces that drove the band apart would bring it back together; it's all Lori wanted.

Ironhide felt guilty since he was, in a way, responsible for her problems. "For now, let's not worry about the clothing; we'll cross that bridge when we get there. You don't want to go into the military, okay, and you expressed interest in the Fire Department… alright then, we have a start. Let's research what you need to do to become a firefighter." He was thinking of how lengthy the process was when a thought came to him; Barricade's vehicle form was a Police car. "You'd make a pretty intimidating Police officer, would you be interested in the Police Department?" Lori shot him a most startled look.

"Remember I killed three of them?" She asked sadly. "Regardless of the fact that they were off duty and pissed me off, I've still got Police blood on my hands. The only reason I haven't been discovered is because they don't have any records on me, not even fingerprints. If I joined them, they would probably connect the dots…" and she would probably be thrown in prison to rot the rest of her life. Prison was one hell-hole she did not want to visit.

"Let's go with the Fire Department, then," Ironhide decided.

"Now for the hard part… applying and interviews…" Lori muttered.

"Yikes, that'll be fun," Ironhide joked as he leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head. "I'm pretty sure you have to be trained as an EMT before you apply to the Fire Academy, so you'll probably have to go to school."

"Oh, joy," Lori muttered sourly. "More school and more taunting and teasing. Could I possibly do it online? Every year I was in school was hell." She could still remember the dictionary of insults she'd been called.

"Hard to say," Ironhide answered. Lori sighed.

"I obviously couldn't skimp out on boot camp to train and all," she speculated, "but I really do not want to be teased. Most of my life I was teased for being rail-thin, and when that changed, I was teased for being muscular. I keep asking myself why my life took this turn… With my band, life was so easy and fun; I had my friends, I had the music, and our fans loved us all dearly. Maybe I'm just afraid of truly growing up…" Sure, she'd lost sleep and the odd acquaintance here and there, but life in a rock band had been the fun kind of hard work.

"If music is you passion, make that your full time job," Ironhide said. "It'll be hard for sure, but you can do anything you put your mind to."

"My band _was_ my full time job," Lori replied wearily. "We were our own roadie crew, with just my truck and a modified trailer. But I took care of, transported, and kept all of our gear. Unfortunately, the music world is cut-throat. Where it's hard to start and keep a band, it's that much easier to break it up. … I just want a job that's easy to get and keep that's also fun." Firefighting wasn't exactly going to be very fun, but it was better than being ogled by drug-abusing freaks.

"This human world is stressful and complicated," Ironhide complained.

"Don't I know it," Lori agreed. "Is it so surprising now why I'm still so tired? Well, aside from the fact I was also up past midnight putting away groceries and moving gear around." And _that_ had actually been a little fun.

"What were you moving?" Ironhide asked. "You could have called me, and I would have been happy to help."

"I was moving all the band gear into one room; so that there would be a spare in the off chance I need it," Lori explained. "And when I mean all the gear, I'm not kidding; I have every guitar, drum, mic, portable amp, stage amp, cable, light, control board, speaker, and frame we ever bought… but I should have called you to help. Roadie boxes are heavy, and I have scratches, scrapes, and a crap load of bruises."

"You're not alone anymore," Ironhide muttered, shaking his head. He got up to look closer at Lori's fresh injuries, only to find they were hardly noticeable. "At least you're tough, though."

"As tough as you, I'd wager," Lori muttered. "But I tellz ya… Roadie boxes do need two people to properly haul them around." She sat down with her breakfast, and then realized she hadn't asked her father if he wanted anything. "I hope you're not hungry… I wasn't even thinking…" She gave a heavy, tired sigh.

"I don't eat human food, so no worries," Ironhide assured.

"Right… I gotta remember that." Lori laughed tiredly.

"It shouldn't be that hard to remember," Ironhide muttered with a shrug.

"Let me wake up some more, and I should remember," Lori replied. She had terrible memory when she was drowsy, but she would never admit it. She blew a wayward lock of hair out of her face. "So… Do you have any plans today?"

"I made sure I could spend all day with you," Ironhide answered. "Of course, I may get called in unexpectedly, but hopefully that won't happen.

"Well, then… what to do…" Lori drummed her fingers on the table, thinking. When a group of fighter jets flew over, an idea came to her. "Ah ha; I've got the perfect idea. There's an airshow going on at the local airport. Let's go to that." She hadn't been to the annual show since her mother had died. "You should invite your boss and friends; I'd love to meet them." She took a long swig of her coffee.

"They can be a handful, but that would be fun," Ironhide said, and then sighed and rolled his eyes. "You should invite Cade; I'm sure you'd like him there as well."

Lori giggled as she sipped her coffee. "I can handle it. Just you wait; you ain't lived till you've seen fighter jets do tricks. … And yes, I do intend to invite Cade." (Ironhide briefly wondered if he should tell Lori he'd been on the receiving end of fancy jet tricks, courtesy of Starscream, but he thought better of it.)

"Then let's go," Ironhide replied. "Just give me a sec to call the others." He stepped out of the room to make his calls, leaving Lori to herself. Lori took a few bites of her food, slightly annoyed with herself for letting it cool.

"I promise not to scare and/or threaten them," she muttered as Ironhide returned.

"No, please do," Ironhide requested. "That'll make our day ten times more fun."

"Daddy, that's mean!" Lori chided with a laugh. Ironhide felt chills at being called Daddy, and joined Lori in her laughter.

"You do whatever you want," he joked.

"You know I will," Lori teased. She quickly finished her breakfast, and cleaned the table up. "Well, now I have to take a shower. Feel free to play with the sound system and game console; I take long showers." Ironhide nodded. "Just don't break anything, okay?" Lori then walked into the bathroom, and a few moments later, thick clouds of steam billowed out of the door's seams. Ironhide stepped over to Lori's entertainments system, briefly admired the complexity, and then made his way to Lori's blade room. There, he was caught up in examining each little detail on every blade, taking up all his free time. Lori casually strolled out the steamy bathroom, wrapped in a towel barely large enough to cover her.

"Ah, now I'm really awake," she purred. "Dad, don't you dare drool on my blades, or I'll smack you." She made sure her tone was teasing, as she wouldn't think of trying to hit her battle-hardened father.

"I don't drool," Ironhide teased back. "Hit me all you want; I can take it. Now get dressed, young lady." He had a hard time sounding stern when he was holding back laughter. Lori giggled as she dashed into her room.

"So what did you friends say about joining us at the airshow?" she asked, voice muffled by her door.

"They're all going to be there," Ironhide answered. "They want to meet you."

"That's great!" Lori chimed. "I'll put on my _studded_ combat boots then!" She only wore studs when she wanted to make an impression; her plain combat boots were great and all, but studs were just that much more dramatic.

"Oh yeah," Ironhide joked with a roll of his eyes. "That'll show 'em." Lori's musical laughter rang through the door.

"I sharpened the studs," Lori explained. "They're like mini-spears on the front of my boots." In fact, the studs were bloodstained still… their victim left sterile for the remainder of his life.

"Nice!" Ironhide praised. "Now you have to promise me to kick someone."

"Only if I get pissed off," Lori warned. She stepped out of her room, dressed in a blue tank top, cutoff jean shorts, and her combat boots, which sported visibly sharp studs.

"Looking good," Ironhide commented. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Lori answered, "So, are we taking my truck, or…?"

"We can go in me," Ironhide offered. "That sounds weird out of context… but anyway, it'll save you fuel, plus I've never had a passenger before, so this'll be interesting."

"Okay, sounds good." Lori couldn't help but laugh.

"Then let's go," Ironhide said. Lori happily followed her father outside. There, the two jumped into the cab of the GMC Topkick. It felt strange to be in a different truck after five years of her Baja/Street-legal Raptor, and much stranger than the car she'd been taught to drive in, but Lori supposed she would get used to it; after all, this was her father. Ironhide had just about instantly strapped her in before she could grab the seatbelt.

"Wow, you're quick!" Lori remarked.

"I'm gonna have to keep a little troublemaker like you safe," Ironhide teased.

"Oh, I'm a trouble maker?" Lori barked a laugh.

"If you're related to me, then trouble always finds you," Ironhide replied.

"True enough," Lori muttered. Combined with her height and short temper, she wasn't at all surprised she'd gotten into so many fights. On the way to the airport, Ironhide tuned into a classic rock/metal radio station, and they had a whale of a time singing along to the songs, which included " _Paper Sun_ " by Def Leppard, " _Blaze of Glory_ " by Bon Jovi, and " _Rock You like a Hurricane_ " by the Scorpions. They eventually arrived at the airport, where the airshow was already in full swing, and found parking. Lori jumped out of the cab with a happy giggle.

"I feel like a kid again!" She declared with her arms spread wide like wings. A pair of 1930s biplanes flew over, barrel rolling. Ironhide tensed a bit (the planes sounded so similar to an oncoming airstrike), but he shook it off.

"Come on, the others are already inside," he said, eyes still on the old planes, which had spilt off in opposite directions to volley paintballs at each other.

"They're quick," Lori replied in surprise. The walked into the gate and paid admission, and then looked around. Several different aircraft were parked around the grounds, their metal bodies and glossy paint shining in the sun. Lori's expression was bright and lively, excited to be coming back to a show she'd attended since she was a small child.

"This is pretty cool," Ironhide admitted as he admired the wide variety of aircraft scattered around (he was in fact impressed humans could be so creative when it came to aircraft). There were also new and classic cars and trucks (some of which were raffle prizes, others for sale from the dealership in town), ATVs (also up for raffle and/or sale from the local dealer), and hundreds of booths on the tarmac. Music of all genres blasted from the booths, from rock to hip hop to country, it all blended in to the point individual songs could not be singled out. The event was well attended, with thousands of people milling about. Several aircraft were parked right beside the main runway, awaiting their turn to perform in the sky.

"Mom took me to this show every year," Lori said. "During the years I didn't come, I kept a mental note of who the big air act would be; this year it's the Blue Angels." The 'Angels and Thunderbirds alternated years, but both put on a delightful performance.

"Are they good?" Ironhide asked. He could hear the distinct whine of jet engines from the runway.

"They're stunning, and also quite beautiful," Lori answered. Before Ironhide could ask what they looked like, six F/A-18 Hornets painted dark Navy-blue with gold accents thundered overhead; the jets were flying within 18 inches of each other, the tightest formation Ironhide had ever seen.

"Not bad for humans," Ironhide muttered, impressed. This became an understatement as the jets barrel rolled and lopped as one, the craft in the rear of the formation trailing colored airshow smoke. The tempo for Kenny Loggins' " _Danger Zone_ " could scarcely be heard over the rest of the music, but it seemed the Blue Angels were performing in synch with the song as they split from their formation to perform solo tricks, such as passing belly-to-belly towards each other, again merely inches apart, flying upside down, and spiraling straight up into the sky to dive back down. Lori knew these tricks had come from years of practice and tragedy, and from the progression of different aircraft the Blue Angels had flown. Many of the tricks she had seen several times, but they were no less amazing as they had been the first time.

"And if you hadn't already noticed, their jets aren't outfitted with guns," Lori pointed out. "Airshow craft are never fitted with weapons, as their sole purpose is to showcase what the craft can do."

"That's a relief," Ironhide said softly as he watched the Blue Angels execute their _Fleur de Lis_ formation split, all six jets trailing smoke. All of a sudden, Ironhide and Lori were in the shade.

"You didn't bring an umbrella?" Ratchet asked from behind them. "Ironhide, she could get sunburned." Ratchet then moved the large umbrella more over Lori, so that she was completely underneath it.

"Hi, Ratchet!" Lori greeted, laughing. Ratchet smiled in reply as a slightly taller figure stepped over from behind the medic.

"Hello, Lori," the figure greeted kindly.

"Hello, uh…" Lori trailed off, not knowing his name.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots," the figure replied.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Lori said with a courteous dip of her head and a smile. "My father has had only good things to say about you." He's been telling her all kinds of stories about how brave and powerful Optimus was on the way to the airport, and Lori had been nothing less than delighted by all of them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Optimus said, glancing at Ironhide, and then back to Lori. Two other figures came from behind Optimus, one with short, Nordic-blonde hair, the other with longer black hair tied back in a low ponytail.

"Oh, I can see how you've sent people to the hospital," the ponytailed figure commented with a laugh. "That's awesome! The name's Jazz, and this is Bumblebee." Jazz pulled Bumblebee to his side as 'Bee gave a shy wave hello.

"It's great to meet all of you," Lori replied. "And yes, I have sent many people to the hospital. I have a short temper." But it seemed to be getting better around her father; normally, she would be scanning the crowd Terminator-style.

"That's cool," Jazz said with a laugh. A nearby plane caught his eye. "Ooh, look at that one! I'm gonna go check it out!" He ran towards the small plane, pulling Bumblebee with him.

"Primus, those two have a lot of energy…" Ironhide muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Stay hydrated, Lori," Ratchet ordered, handing her a bottle of water. Lori giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Thank you," she said. She turned towards Jazz and Bumblebee. "Don't touch the airplanes! Pilots aren't all that friendly!" She knew some were, but most were quite sensitive about people touching their planes.

"Knowing Jazz, he could probably talk his way into getting a ride," Optimus said, and Ironhide nodded in agreement.

Ratchet, ignoring the conversation, brought out a container of sunblock. "Did you put any of this on?" He asked Lori.

"The airspace around here is closed for the show, so maybe at a later time," Lori told Optimus, and then answered Ratchet. "As for sunblock, no I haven't put any on; I don't burn" She had a few times when she was little, but from her freshman year of high school onward, she'd hadn't sunburned again.

"You can never be too careful," Ratchet warned, and this warranted Ironhide whacking the medic.

"Calm down, Ratch," Ironhide snapped. "She's not some delicate flower. She tough and can take care of herself."

"Thank you, dad," Lori purred with a defiant smile.

Optimus noticed Ironhide's dorky grin at being called "dad," but didn't bring it up. "Lori, when is Barricade going to be here? I do need a word with him." Lori blushed, and she burst out laughing.

"I forgot to call him! Hold on a sec." She whipped out her phone and called Barricade to invite him out. After that, she put her phone away, right next to the discreetly thin pocket knife in her back pocket. "He's on his way; he'll be here in about ten minutes… I woke him up."

"Figures the ex-'Con is still sleeping," Ironhide mumbled. He cleared his throat to speak normally. "Looks like we've got some time to kill then… lead the way, Lori; we'll do what you want to do." Lori grinned at this prospect. She and her mother had had a tradition that she was eager to pick back up. She led the group to a nearby booth promoting the Air Force, and under this tent was what she was looking for.

"First up is the 'Top Gun' character quiz," Lori explained. "If you haven't seen that movie, we're all going to my house to watch it after we're done here."

"We've never seen it," The Autobots admitted together.

"Oh dear," Lori snickered, "this is gonna be fun." The Autobots glanced among each other, unsure of what to make of Lori's giggling. She took the quiz, and was not surprised by the results. "I got Maverick… a hot-shot young fighter pilot good at his trade, if a bit cocky." She grinned and gestured to the screen. Bravely, Optimus stepped up and answered the series of questions related to the movie.

"I got Viper," he said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. Jazz had returned to the group with Bumblebee.

"What's that mean?" He asked, having just missed Lori's brief explanation. He took one look at the screen and grinned. He took the quiz, pleased with what he got. "I got Maverick! Sweet, Ironhide got Maverick too, and 'Bee got Goose! Who's you get, Ratch?"

"Iceman…" Ratchet muttered. Lori muffled a giggle.

"What about you, Lori?" Jazz asked. "And why are we taking quizzes?"

"I got Maverick, too," Lori answered. "And as for why, it's just for fun! The characters you got are all major characters in the movie 'Top Gun.' We'll go to my house later and watch it; you guys will really like it. Now; where is Cade?" She looked around, finding him at a karaoke booth. "He's such a dork…"

"I am so challenging that 'Con to karaoke," Jazz remarked happily.

"Aw, he's so cute," Lori cooed. "He's singing Corey Hart's cover of ' _Can't Help Falling in Love._ ' That is just adorable!"

"Let's go over there and cheer him on," Jazz suggested. Barricade looked over, blushed brightly, but kept going. Lori grinned.

"Good idea," she said softly. Jazz let out a teasing cheer while Ratchet brought out a camera.

"Are we gonna blackmail him?" Ironhide asked.

"Oh, yeah," Ratchet answered with a smirk.

"Come on, guys," Lori complained. "You're gonna scare him."

"That's the point," Ironhide teased. Barricade took a big breath on the stage, and stepped toward Lori.

" _But I can't help falling in love with you…_ " he sang slowly, taking Lori's hand with a gentle, lovesick smile. Jazz and Bumblebee's jaws dropped, Optimus raised a brow quizzically, and Ironhide and Ratchet didn't react since they already knew.

"Nice case of bed-head, Cade," Lori teased.

"What…? Oh." Barricade gave a sheepish smile when his hand touched the top of his head.

"This is gonna take some getting used to… hey, Barricade…" Jazz greeted nervously.

"Hey," Barricade greeted back. "I swear I won't attack you guys; Lori would probably kill me if I tried."

"I'd help her with that," Ironhide growled lightly.

"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus said gently. "The rest of you are not to harm Barricade unless he attacks first."

"Yes, sir…" they said reluctantly.

"I wish I could take back all I've done…" Barricade looked down in shame, his smile melting away almost instantly.

"It's never too late to change," Lori assured. "Just don't give them blackmail material." Barricade blushed all over again.

"I'm such a lovesick moron," he complained.

"You are not a moron," Lori scolded. "You're my lovesick sweetheart."

"She's right; it's never too late to change, Barricade," Optimus said.

"I've been changing since she almost hit my holoform with her truck," Barricade muttered. "I guess it served as a good reality check." Lori snickered, remembering his utterly shocked expression at the sight of her Raptor's wide grille mere inches from him.

"And all the bullets and punches weren't?" Ratchet asked, huffing in annoyance.

"Come on, guys, we're at an airshow," Jazz spoke up, sensing the tension in the air and wanting to lighten it up. "Let's try to enjoy ourselves."

"I saw a massage booth near the runway," Barricade suggested after he'd shuddered.

"Let's go," Lori announced. "I need a massage like no tomorrow." She was sore from her late night gear escapade.

"I'm with Lori," Jazz said in agreement. With that, the group followed Barricade to the massage booth. They chatted quietly amongst each other, commenting about the airshow itself; the aircraft, the booths, and how well attended it was.

"So, what's with the bedhead, Cade?" Lori asked. "Surely you can alter your holoform."

"I thought it was normal," Barricade answered innocently.

"That high of a hairdo is not normal, dork," Lori teased. "You remind me of a Stray Cat or the guy in that Taco music video." She'd shown Barricade the groups and the music videos, so he knew what she was talking about.

"Are they always this cutesy together?" Jazz whispered to Ironhide.

"Yeah," Ironhide replied.

"I heard that," Lori said over her shoulder. "Now that I know I'm only half human, I understand why my senses are better than most."

"Chill, Lori, I was just saying this is a weird adjustment for all of us." Jazz was still suspicious of Barricade, Lori could tell.

"Remind me not to let you near the scrapbook my mom made," she muttered. "It's full of photos great for blackmailing."

"You shouldn't have said that…" Optimus warned.

"I know what I'm doing later!" Jazz grinned wildly.

"Oh, damn," Lori hissed. "You are so locked out of my house until I hide the damn thing."

"I specialize in breaking and entering while getting information; it's kinda my job," Jazz teased with a wink.

"I have over 200 blades in my house," Lori warned. "They're all sharp and ready to use. You might want to rethink that."

"Is that a challenge?" Jazz asked.

"It's a warning," Lori growled.

"Lo, you're gonna get angry," Barricade said nervously. "Come on, let's get that massage."

"Knock it off," Optimus snapped, whacking Jazz upside the head.

"I meant no harm," Jaz replied with a shrug. "Jeez, we all need a massage…" Lori found herself giggling at the stoic leader's little attack his teammate.

"I will not tolerate any of my subordinates disrespecting you," Optimus said.

"Okay, you do need a massage…" Lori muttered, eyeing Optimus quizzically. "Maybe a round in a photo booth…" The other Autobots snickered, but when Optimus gave them a sideways glance, they all stood stiffly. This did not sit well with Lori. "You might be leader, but that strict, stoic attitude will not fly, mister. I'll feel bad if you don't laugh at least a little today. Lighten up."

"Good luck getting _him_ to laugh…" Ironhide muttered.

"Don't be too hard on him," Ratchet said gently. "His leadership has kept us all alive."

"Oh, I have ways of lightening people up…" Lori chimed with a mischievous grin.

"I really don't think a trip to the comedy club is gonna work a Prime," Barricade muttered.

"Oh no, this is much more serious," Lori declared. "I've had to cheer up drill sergeants. What I have in mind can make the strictest of people laugh until it hurts." Optimus narrowed his sharp blue eyes at Lori, and Ironhide stood ready to defend his daughter. Lori's grin only got wider. "Cade, are my arsenal of Supersoakers still clean and ready?"

"Um, yeah…" Barricade answered slowly.

"What are Supersoakers?" Jazz and Bumblebee asked at the same time.

"Oh, only the best water guns on the market," Lori explained casually. "One can soak their opponents in one shot. I personally color the water I put into mine, so you know I got you." Suddenly, the rumble of older airplane engines sounded overhead, and the group looked up to see a pair of old, paint-splattered biplanes (the same pair Lori and Ironhide had seen earlier), waging a dogfight with their paintball ammo. The Autobots watched the planes eagerly, until a rather large blob of neon-pink paint landed on Optimus's shoulder. Lori had to clasp her hands over her mouth to avoid bursting out laughing. Optimus looked at the splat of paint on his shoulder, noticed the others trying not to laugh, and briskly wiped the paint off with his hand. He regarded the neon paint for a moment, and then flicked it into Ironhide's face. Ironhide tried to spit the paint out while Optimus smirked and the others laughed. Lori remembered she had several paintball guns in her garage, and a wicked little smile replaced her grin.

"Are you thinking about what I think you're thinking about…?" Jazz whispered to her.

"Oh, yeah," Lori whispered back. "We're gonna have a paintball fight at my place, and we can totally ambush Optimus. Whisper this to the others." Jazz giggled childishly and relayed Lori's message.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" as Jazz went to tell Bumblebee, he found the blonde Autobot already getting a massage. "What the heck? Bee, how are you already getting a massage?" Bumblebee only shrugged innocently.

"Well, he's got the right idea for the moment," Lori mused.

"You're sneaky, Bee." Ironhide laughed.

"Hey, if sneaky works, it works," Bumblebee said.

"Come on you lot." Lori gestured to the massage tent. "Optimus, I can see how tense you are."

"Thing is, he's actually not tense," Jazz joked. "He's always like that."

"Don't worry about him, Lori," Ironhide teased.

"Yeah, forget about him," Jazz said. "I wanna know about you! We're all here for you." Lori blushed at being put on the spot.

"There's not really much to tell," she stammered. "But I betcha 20 bucks says a massage does you leader some good." She whipped out a $20 bill and flashed a grin to hide her nerves. Off stage, she hated being the center of attention. She'd always shared the limelight with her bandmates, which had helped her cope with her slight claustrophobia.

"If we can get him to sit down," Ratchet muttered.

"I'm not here for that, Lori," Optimus said, trying not to look annoyed. "I came to get to know you and have a word with Barricade."

"See what I mean?" Ratchet huffed. "He's all business."

"I give up…" Lori hung her head in early defeat.

"You need some chocolate?" Barricade asked. He knew what cheered Lori up.

"Never give up," Jazz whispered. "We still have that paintball thing we can try." Ironhide looked at Optimus irritably while Ratchet brought out a chocolate bar practically from out of nowhere and handed it to Lori.

"What don't you have!?" Ironhide demanded.

"You're right, Jazz," Lori replied around a bout of giggling. "If that doesn't get him laughing, he's hopeless." She happily nibbled on the chocolate.

"My medic is always prepared," Optimus remarked with a smirk.

"No, not the chocolate," Lori explained. "I do appreciate that, but what is guaranteed to make all of you laugh until it hurts… well, that's still a secret for now." She gave Jazz a sly wink. Optimus gave Lori a curious look before Ironhide shoved him into the nearest massage chair.

"Just relax, Prime," he teased.

"Way to take charge, dad," Lori said, pleased.

"I'm one of the few who can move him around," Ironhide declared proudly.

"You may be strong," Optimus countered, "But I still beat you at arm wrestling."

"Looks like a simple movie get-together is evolving into a full party," Lori eluded, deep in thought. She set herself down on a massage chair. "Bet you can't beat me!" It felt oddly satisfying to tease such a stoic leader.

"I bet he can!" Bumblebee shot back with a grin.

Lori smirked. "You wanna bet? I've got 20 bucks." Inwardly, she doubted her chances of success, but she was having too much fun provoking Optimus into a friendly little competition to let her doubts surface.

"You're on, lil' Ironhide," Bumblebee said as he shook her hand.

"Oh, I'm little?" Lori scoffed in amusement. "You're underestimating me, honey."

"You're little compared to our real bodies, _honey_ ," Bumblebee taunted affectionately, and threw Lori's pun right back at her with a wink.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't ya?" Lori rolled her eyes.

"Of course I'm gonna rub it in," Bumblebee joked. "I'm always being talked down to. It's nice not being the youngest anymore." Nearby, Ratchet was just melting and grinning like a fool while he got his massage.

"Why haven't we done thing kind of thing sooner?" he asked.

"At least you only tease me because you like me," Lori muttered as she gazed at the medic with a smile. "I'd probably be a lot different if I hadn't been bullied all through school…" she added under her breath. Optimus, Jazz, and Bumblebee had heard her, and they all looked shocked.

"Just give me the names of the bullies at your school," Jazz snapped. "I'll find them!"

"You turned out just fine," Bumblebee encouraged. Optimus gazed at her knowingly, but stayed silent.

"It's been a few years since I was bullied," Lori said. "Most of the bullies I nearly beat to death anyway."

"That's my girl!" Ironhide praised with a proud grin.

"Oh, it was no effort," Lori purred with her own grin.

"And that makes me ten times prouder," Ironhide said. "I still feel like crap for not being there for you, but you've always been able to take care of yourself."

"You didn't know," Lori replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Had you known I might be a bit pissed…" she trailed off as she got her massage, and everyone noticed Optimus visibly relaxing as he got his massage; the masseuse looked more than happy to oblige.

"Don't point it out, or he'll tense up again," Jazz whispered to Lori.

"Tell Ratchet to sneak a photo," Lori whispered back. "I have reason to believe he'll deny it later." For such experience, she could thank a scrapbook full of photos that her bandmates denied were real; oh, the shenanigans she'd gotten into. Ratchet got the message and very casually snuck a photo. "Perfect… could this day get any better?" Lori felt years of stress melt away at the soft touch of her masseuse.

"If we can get him to laugh-" Ironhide pointed at Optimus, "then that would be something."

"Well, with the small party I'm planning, I really doubt he'll be able to restrain his laughter much longer." And small the party would be… unless her new friends wanted to escalate things.

"I've been trying to get him to laugh for centuries," Jazz remarked. "Good luck with that."

"Yeah… at least he smiles," Bumblebee said.

"So, Lori, what else is there to do at an airshow?" Optimus asked as he briskly got up and paid for everyone's massages. Lori fought an eye roll; Optimus was just too much.

"Let me think," she mumbled. "There's all the booths and what they have to offer, watching the aerobatic acts, and there's also the planes on the ground you can look at and ask about- some you can touch, too. I'd be a liar if I said pilots didn't like bragging about their birds." They shared the relationship Lori had with her truck, and her truck was her baby.

"You are most familiar with this area, so I'll let you lead the way," Optimus commented. Lori got up, stretched leisurely, and led her new friends around the tarmac. She happily pointed out several legendary aircraft that were parked on the grounds, giving a brief story of how each one had come to its fame. The Autobots listened in interest until their gazes fell upon an F-22 Raptor. The massive jet had recently been sprayed down, the ground beneath it was wet and water dripped off its body. The Autobots eyed it coldly until Major Lennox stepped from behind the wet aircraft.

"Hey, guys!" Lennox greeted warmly. "You don't need to worry about this bird, she's harmless. We just washed her… you wouldn't believe how dusty she was!" Lennox himself was damp in places, and dust stuck to the dampened patches of his civilian clothes.

"Lennox, it's good to see you!" Ironhide replied, and his mood instantly brightened.

"Where's my boy Epps at?" Jazz asked.

"He's keeping an eye on the 'Angels," Lennox answered. "He's loved them since he was a kid."

"We need to stop by those so we can see Epps," Jazz told Lori.

"Hey, Lennox, when you get a sec, come over here," Ironhide said. "There's someone I want you to meet."

"Jazz, 'Angels is short for Blue Angels," Lori explained, looking to the sky. "They're up again… They're doing a Cuban Eight in a Delta Formation." Jazz and Bumblebee looked up excitedly.

Lennox turned his head towards the Raptor's cockpit. "Hey, Epps, you've got a visitor looking for you! The Blue Angels will still be airborne in five minutes." Epps looked up from his perch, saw Jazz, and happily jumped down to chat with his Autobot friend. Lennox then walked over to Ironhide and the group. "What's up, 'Hide? Nice holoform, by the way."

"Thank you," Ironhide replied. "I try to blend in, you know. But I want you to meet someone very special to me… Will, meet my daughter, Lori." Ironhide proceeded to sling an arm around Lori to pull her to his side. Lori couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, she's definitely got your looks, buddy," Lennox remarked, gazing at Lori in surprise.

"We both found out yesterday after we ran into each other," Lori quickly explained.

"She ran into me," Ironhide added. "I don't run into girls."

"We were both at fault on it," Lori said. "I was in a bad mood, you were in a bad mood, neither of us were really paying attention, and boom, we bumped into each other." She intentionally left out the little detail of how she'd nearly provoked him into a fight with her.

"You know, you seem familiar…" Lennox trailed off in thought. "Wait; are you in a band?"

"I was, but we've broken up," Lori answered with a sigh. "Life got in our way." Ironhide looked annoyed at the band being brought up again, since he knew that every time it was brought up, Lori felt sad.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Lennox said solemnly. "I saw you perform once. Talent like that is going to take you places beyond your dreams."

"Thank you," Lori replied with a longing smile. "Maybe one day we can get back together." If she didn't play, she would get lazy, and forget all her skills.

"Wait, what!?" Jazz stammered. "Ironhide, you didn't tell me your girl could play! Lori, I _need_ to hear you!" Lori blushed again.

"Not here…" she trailed off in a nervous giggle.

"Ugh, you're killing me," Jazz teased.

"I'll bring out one of my axes tonight," Lori promised. Suddenly, Barricade grabbed Lori's hand, and together they ran towards a booth housing a makeshift dancefloor. The Autobots had been ready to jump Barricade for such quick movements, but stopped when they saw his intention.

"I'm down for dancing," Jazz decided, and joined the couple.

"Well, it was nice seeing you outside of the base, Lennox," Ironhide said. "Have fun with your jet." Ironhide and Lennox gave each other a semi-secret handshake, and then Lennox walked back over the Raptor and climbed into the cockpit with Epps to get a better view of the sky. The rest of the group neared the dancefloor tent.

"Care to join us?" Lori invited as she spun to guitar downbeat of " _Footloose_ " by Kenny Loggins. Jazz and Bumblebee happily accepted the invitation. Ironhide and Ratchet shared a glance at each other, looking slightly out of place off the dance floor. Optimus tried not to look bored, so he went off the search for a booth that served drinks. "You can expect this kind of music and better at my house!" Lori couldn't wait to show off her vast collection of Rock-N'-Roll.

"Later sounds like it's gonna be awesome!" Bumblebee commented. Lori nodded in glee as Optimus returned. The stoic leader handed Ratchet and Ironhide a beer each. Lori cringed a little.

"If you've never had alcohol before, be careful," she warned. "No everyone can handle the stuff. I simply choose not to." As a prank, her backups had spiked her eggnog with vodka their first Christmas together. It had been so disgusting she'd nearly choked as she spat it out.

"Thanks, Lori, but we've tested alcohol with our holoforms before," Ironhide explained. "It takes a while before we feel buzzed." Ratchet nodded in agreement and toasted his bottle with Ironhide's. Optimus stayed quiet as he sipped a bottle of water, but he kept a watchful eye out for anything to go wrong.

"I'm gonna keep myself from acting like my mom," Lori muttered, "but she hated drinking. There were never alcoholic beverages in the house, not even wine. If you guys want some later, you'll have to go get it. All I have is lots of soda." Out of habit, she'd bought more soda than she could drink on her own.

"Soda will be fine," Optimus said quickly. "I don't need anyone drunk." Lori, Jazz, Barricade, and Bumblebee shared a look among each other before bursting out laughing. Lori had to spin to keep herself from losing her balance and falling. "What's so funny?"

"I have no idea," Ironhide muttered.

"Nothing, I swear," Lori said as she calmed herself. She would never admit to Optimus how hilarious it would be to see him or any of his teammates tipsy. Optimus shrugged, not wanting to push the subject. Jazz took the time to pull Lori towards him.

"Show me what you got, girl," he challenged.

"Challenge accepted!" Lori replied. She did a spinning high-fan-kick and dropped into the splits as the song ended. She smirked up at Jazz.

"Damn," Jazz muttered. "You better hold onto this one, Barricade. I may steal her." The next song was a wordless Techno piece, so Lori stayed on the floor, expertly dancing with the upper half of her body using a combination of fluid and sharp moves.

"I'm not sharing," Barricade muttered.

"Oh wow," Lori teased. "I have boys arguing over me? This is new. Don't worry, Cade; almost hitting you makes you mine and mine alone."

"Aw man, oh well," Jazz said with feigned sadness. "I don't see myself being off the market anyway." He laughed as Lori rolled her eyes.

"Boys are the same in any species," she joked. She rolled her head back to smirk at Bumblebee.

"I only heard about it briefly, but you said you nearly hit Barricade with your truck?" he asked.

"When you see the size of my truck, you'll wonder how I managed to stop it," Lori explained.

"It's because you're a boss!" Jazz joked.

"Maybe," Lori teased, "but I could also thank its ABS." Along with her foot pumping the pedal; ABS wouldn't have stopped in time.

"True enough," Jazz replied. Lori smoothly picked herself up as the song faded to its end, being careful not to graze her own body with the studs on her boots. She wiped sweat off her forehead and stepped off the dancefloor, Jazz, Bumblebee, and Barricade following suit. She quickly finished her bottle of water and continued leading her new friends around. They all got a quick snack, found a good spot by the runway, and settled down to watch the next aerobatic act: a pair of Military helicopters chasing after a car on the runway. The two choppers would swoop at the car from opposite directions, and sharply climb just before they could crash. This act continued until the stress and speed of the chase had drained the car's fuel. To end the act, the occupants of the choppers hopped out and took the car's driver out of sight. The group watched the next act excitedly: a P-51 Mustang raced an older model fighter jet. After the mini air race was another race, but this race was between a jet powered bus that rocketed across the runway at breakneck speed and a small, sporty little airplane. The winner of this race was narrowly the jet-bus. Lori glanced at the horizon, and noticed the sun had gotten much closer to it.

"Well, if y'all are satisfied, who's game to go to my house for our party?" she asked. Jazz jumped up and raised his hand.

"I'm ready to go!" Bumblebee added. Ratchet and Ironhide agreed.

"Are you coming, Optimus?" Lori asked. "Or will we have to drag you?" She gave a little smirk.

"That would be a sight, but I'll come along as well," Optimus answered, smirking back.

"I wanted to prove I'm strong," Lori complained with a feigned pout. She then grinned and practically skipped towards the gates.

"There's other ways to prove you're strong," Ironhide said as the group followed her.

"Oh, I know," she replied. "I plan to prove myself with arm wrestling."

"I'm gonna win an easy 20 bucks," Bumblebee commented.

"I've got extra power from hauling roadie boxes around," Lori added. "They're huge and heavy."

"I'm still gonna get that 20 from you," Bumblebee teased. "My leader is strong as hell."

"Oh, check out the gun show, boy!" Lori proceeded to flex her arm, showing off her muscles.

"Dang, Lori, do you work out?" Bumblebee asked, clearly impressed.

"Hauling around my roadie boxes is all the work out I need," Lori replied.

"I don't know about you guys," Jazz cut in, "But I'm getting excited for later and all the fun we're gonna have!"

"I haven't had a party in months," Lori said. "Since I'm so far away from others, we can get as crazy as we want!"

"Oh snap, she gave us permission!" Jazz exclaimed. Bumblebee pumped his fist in the air. Ratchet raised a brow curiously.

"This is gonna be fun," Ironhide decided.

"My closest neighbors are five miles away from me," Lori explained. "We can have some serious fun!" Five miles was pretty significant in a forested area, especially in warmer months when sound didn't carry as well. Lori jumped in her father's cab, gesturing the others to follow them.

"We'll follow you," Optimus assured. They pulled out of the airport's lot and made the 15-minute drive to Lori's house, chatting amongst each other via comm link.


	4. Chapter 3: Meet The Boss (Part 2)

**A/N: This part gears up for the start of the real drama! Buckle in!**

Optimus found himself approving of the remote location of Lori's home, and he also noted how scenic the drive had been. Lori's house was smartly nestled in a clearing where it would be difficult for most aircraft to easily descend into. After they had parked, Lori jumped out of Ironhide's cab, looking quite excited.

"Make yourselves at home, guys!" She invited. They activated their holoforms and all but Optimus accepted her offer, and he watched as Jazz found Lori's refrigerator and got a soda, and Bumblebee got himself a bottle of water. Ratchet and Ironhide settled on the couch, and Optimus took it upon himself to quickly stroll around the outside of Lori's house to secure the perimeter before he finally went inside. He gave himself a tour while Jazz and Bumblebee followed him.

"I like your place, Lori," Jazz commented. "I especially love your guitar collection." Optimus was more impressed with Lori's extensive blade collection.

"Thank you," Lori replied. "Optimus, quit being paranoid, will you? Relax and grab a soda. Nobody will bother us out here." She was powering up her complex entertainment system, and the animations for an edition of _Rockband_ appeared on the screen. Lori tossed the game's haptic guitars to Jazz and Bumblebee; she also passed Ironhide the haptic drum set, and picked up the microphone for her use.

"I'm being prepared, Lori," Optimus said flatly. "Besides, your father is usually the paranoid one." Ironhide rolled his eye at the comment, but didn't protest. As the makeshift band got set up, Optimus wondered why Lori hadn't offered any of the haptic instruments. He wasn't hurt by any means since he would have politely declined anyway, but how Lori had anticipated that he wouldn't have wanted to participate did interest him. He was happy to watch his team enjoy themselves, though; this was a pleasant break from the monotony of trying to keep the planet safe from the Decepticons. He knew this would provide a boost in morale among his team and friends, and as he watched them play the game, he knew they would be visiting Ironhide's daughter often. Lori's voice was almost hypnotic as she sang along to the current song. She was a miracle by both human and Cybertronian standards, and Optimus was sure Ironhide would do everything he could to protect his daughter. They played through a few more songs before they took a break.

"You wanna play, Optimus?" Lori offered.

"No thank you, Lori." Optimus replied. Lori shrugged and the makeshift band continued. They had been playing on "story mode," so they didn't stop until the game's story had been completed. During this time, Optimus had finally helped himself to some of the iced tea Lori had clearly home-brewed. He'd enjoyed it quite a lot. Lori had smiled knowingly when she'd glanced at him in the middle of a song. After the _Rockband_ equipment had been put away, Lori had rolled out a "Twister" mat. Optimus had to fight the urge to chuckle as he watched the participants get tangled around each other. Lori had invited him to play as well, but again he had politely declined. Once the game of Twister was finished, Lori put on one of her music CDs -one with cover art that represented the band Def Leppard- and set out a fold-up table with camp chairs. She smirked at Optimus.

"We have a bet to settle," she said. Optimus crossed his arms confidently. "Bring it, my friend." Optimus took a seat and put an arm up, ready. Lori sat down and took his hand. The other gathered around, eager to watch.

"Don't hurt my daughter, Prime," Ironhide said.

"Relax, Ironhide, I would never hurt her," Optimus replied.

"Don't worry, I have a high pain tolerance," Lori said. "In my feet at least…" she added under her breath.

"That's a fun fact," Ratchet commented, having heard Lori. "Which reminds me; when we're not having a party, I need to give you a medical exam to see how the human and Cybertronian genes of yours have mixed."

"Not right now!" Jazz scolded as he swatted at the medic.

"Yeah, it's arm wrestling time!" Bumblebee added. "Win me some money, Prime."

Optimus was going to make sure to win since he felt the need to establish he was the leader. He was not only strong because of years of fighting, but he was a Prime; he was naturally stronger than everyone. "Ready, Lori?" He asked.

"I am so ready," Lori answered after shaking off a startled look.

"Way to throw her off, Ratch," Ironhide said to the medic.

"Whoops, sorry," Ratchet replied.

Optimus tightened his grip. "Let's go, Ms. Azura."

"Ms. Azura was my mother," Lori said with a hardened expression. She tightened her grip significantly. Ironhide's expression softened at his memories of Alexa Azura, but he kept quiet.

"Count it down, Barricade," Optimus said, knowing that Lori was upset. He wanted to end this quickly; her grip was impressively tight.

"On three," Barricade said. "One… Two… Three!" Lori gave the first push, her fingernails slightly grazing the skin of his holoform's hand. Optimus held her off easily, but didn't make it obvious. Lori put forth so much effort she bared her teeth. She greatly surprised Optimus with her strength. He actually had to try to keep their hands in the middle. By this match alone, Optimus knew Lori was capable of hurting a Cybertronian if she really wanted to. Testing her strength some more, he let his hand fall a little to see how far Lori could get it down. Lori pushed his hand down to within inches of the table, grinning wildly. Optimus made sure to look directly into her azure-blue eyes before he wickedly smirked. Lori's grin returned to a fiercer look as she tensed her arm, guessing at his plans. He shook his head slowly before he started to pull their arms back up to the middle, where he continued to push her hand closer and closer to the table. Lori gave all her effort, the muscles in her arm tense and bunched. He kept their hands hovering just above the surface of the table.

"Did you really think you could beat me, Lori?" Optimus teased. "I am the leader of the Autobots, after all."

"I had to give it my best shot," Lori replied. "Besides, I wanted to see the less military-leader side of you." She managed to boost her hand up a little.

"That's cute," Optimus said as he gently lowered her hand to the table. "You did a good job, though, better than some of my own troops."

"I must get it from my daddy, but thank you," Lori said. She got up, shook the tenseness out of her arm, and slapped her $20 bill into Bumblebee's hand.

"Thank you," Bumblebee giggled.

"Good job, Lori," Ironhide praised, patting her on the back, "Though I could have told you that you would have lost. I can't even beat him."

"So when are we gonna pull out those paint ball guns and watch that movie?" Jazz whispered to Lori, making sure Optimus couldn't quite hear. Lori grinned wickedly.

"The paintball supplies are in the closet in the garage," she explained softly. "There's enough for one each, and I have seven different colors in marked jugs."

"Let's do it!" Jazz said. "Ironhide and I can get the area outside set up while you get the rest ready."

"Perfect," Lori replied. "Just be mindful of my truck; I have a hell of a time cleaning that kind of paint off of it. If you hit it, prepare to hear me swear like a Marine." She left out the fact that the paint occasionally was un-washable from some surfaces; it was a hit or miss situation with whether or not it was washable. She felt sure that they would avoid her truck.

"I'll park in front of it," Ironhide offered.

"And I'll park behind it," Ratchet added, "Your truck should be safe."

"Come on, let's get going," Bumblebee said. "I'm so excited right now. And if there's yellow paintballs, dibs."

"Keep you voices low," Lori warned with a hush. "Do you want him to hear?" She flashed an innocent smile at Optimus. Optimus softly smiled back, looking like he felt ever so slightly bad for defeating her at arm wrestling. "He's still unsuspecting. Go, go; get the stuff and get set up." She shooed them out of the house, giggling mischievously.

After most of the party went outside, Barricade was left alone with Optimus.

"So…" the Prime started.

"I suppose a simple sorry won't cut it?" Barricade asked with a hand on the back of his head. Optimus stood up to his full holoform height and crossed his arms.

"No," he answered. "I'm going to need all the information you can give me about the Decepticons, no matter how outdated, and I can't have you running around unattended. You haven't earned my trust for that yet. You will always be accompanied by an Autobot to keep an eye on you, and you will have weekly check-ins with me.

"I know this may seem like a lot, but this is the way for me to keep the humans off you. They'll attack anyone they think is a Decepticon. They've seen you with them, and they're going to have a hard time believing you've changed because of Lori… I don't want the humans finding out about her actually…" Optimus trailed off as he thought about Lori's safety.

"I'll gladly patch all my info to you," Barricade finally said. "And luckily this is my month as the float clerk at the knife store, so I only go in if they need me to fill in for somebody, but Primus, if anybody knew Lori was more than human…" He shut his eyes, forcing troubling thoughts out of his mind.

"I know," Optimus replied. "And she's not the best t keeping a low profile. I know she wants to live a normal human life, but it may not be possible for her. Humans are dangerous to our species and only Primus knows what they would actually do to her. She's so much smaller than us… she'll also need an Autobot with her at all times."

"She has her father to be with her," Barricade said, "But you're right. She has a hard time with subtlety. She earned a nickname in the City… the Alley Scourge. She's a feared legend; her temper gets the better of her. Primus knows I tried to help her with it… When she killed three Police officers, I knew she needed help throttling back her fury."

"She's killed three Police officers?" Optimus asked. "I didn't know that. Well, I may need to get her off the streets for a while and bring her to our base. She needs a medical exam, and I hate to take her freedom away, but she may need to stay there until I can clear tings over with the government. Explaining you is one thing; she's going to be a whole other story."

"The officers were off-duty, a little drunk, and they _really_ pissed her off," Barricade explained. "I think she's still trying to get a grip on the loss of her mother. She's cried on my shoulder enough times for me to know that. As for this house, it's safe; it's quiet in this area until hunting season. Nobody would find her out here. Even if they did, thick forest is only a mile away. This house is all she has left of her simpler life; a life she can feel slipping away." Optimus cursed his growing worry for Lori. He blamed it on Ironhide for even _having_ her with a human, which raised the question of how? He would have to ask Ironhide later.

"If you say it's safe here, the she can stay," Optimus said, "but only after her medical exam."

"Good luck getting her to leave," Barricade replied with a snicker. "She has only left this house once this month to pay the utility bill."

"Hey, Cade!" Lori called from outside. "Can you and Optimus come outside and help me change my truck's oil? The hood lock is stuck." There was an undertone to Lori's voice Optimus couldn't quite place.

"What is she doing changing her truck's oil now?" he asked Barricade. "I thought we were going to watch a movie. Where is her father? He should be the one helping her."

"She's pretty adamant about taking care of it herself," Barricade explained. "But if she's asking for our help, let's go help her."

"I think I'll let you save the damsel in distress," Optimus said with a smirk. "It'll be cuter if the boyfriend saves the day, if you know what I'm saying."

"Hey, you're stronger than me," Barricade said. "That hood lock can get really sticky."

"Are you stooges coming?" Lori asked. Now Optimus suspected something. Decepticons, or in Barricade's case ex-Decepticons, didn't call themselves weak.

"We're coming, Lori," Optimus said, wondering what plans Lori had. "Barricade, she may be the strongest human, but I'm among the strongest Cybertronians. I hope that you can beat her at arm wrestling; can you?"

"No…" Barricade admitted, embarrassed.

"That is embarrassing," Optimus agreed, feeling the urge to laugh but hiding it. "I recommend weight training with Ironhide." Inwardly, Optimus hoped that Barricade's strength was average among Decepticons.

Lori watched happily as both Barricade and Optimus stepped outside, but noticed that Optimus looked suspicious. She had to advance her plans.

"There you are!" She called, hands on one of the custom hood pins she'd installed on her truck. "This dang hood lock just… won't… _GO_!" she feigned effort and gave the others their que to open fire. Almost instantly, Optimus was showered with paintballs. He shut his eyes, and Lori knew the paintballs stung a little, but she could tell Optimus wasn't going to show any pain.

"Here, get them back," Barricade said as he handed Optimus a paintball gun. That hadn't been part of Lori's plan, and shew knew this wasn't going to end well.

"Oh, no!" She warned. "Optimus has his own! Run, guys!" But before anyone could take their first evasive steps, Optimus was nailing them. "We got us a crack-shot!" Lori made sure to use a Southern drawl, since Optimus reminded her of the gunslingers in old Westerns. She also stepped a good distance from her truck.

"That's what y'all get for messing with a Prime!" Optimus replied in a flawless Southern drawl that made Lori jealous.

"I knew you'd have fun with this!" Lori yelled in triumph as she took a few shots at Optimus. Bumblebee ran around the corner, covered in paintball spats.

"I think he's taking it seriously," he warned. "none of us have been able to hit him again." Luckily, Lori had a plan.

"Sneak into the house through the back door," she said softly. Bumblebee nodded and motioned for the others to follow him.

"Barricade, I'm trusting you to have my back since my subordinates turned on me," Optimus said. "Can I trust you?"

"Uh, oh" Lori muttered. "Guys, screw it; Just hide inside. I think he's pissed."

"Well, I'd be upset too if it was two against five," Jazz chuckled.

"That's Prime's problem," Ironhide said. "Come on, Hatchet, Let's take this like Cybertronians."

"You first," Ratchet replied from behind his cover. Ironhide rolled his eyes, but then charged, expertly dodging Optimus' fire while he himself was firing at his leader. Ratchet followed Ironhide's example, finally looking like he was having actual fun. Lori joined the charge, but was unable to avoid Optimus' fire like her father; Optimus seemed to be aiming at her stomach and with the red paintballs he was using, it looked as though he had inflicted nightmarish wounds on her. Optimus smirked. Once Ironhide was close to him, Optimus tripped him, shot him in the stomach, and then took his paintball gun away in one smooth motion. He then fired the two guns at Ratchet and Lori.

"Frag," Ratchet muttered as he tried to get out of the way, but Optimus still managed to nail him. He also managed to shoot Lori square in the forehead. She stood frozen for a moment, stunned. Before long, she collapsed to the ground, laughing so hard she actually struggled to breathe.

"Lori!" Ironhide called out, concerned.

"Come on, Prime," Ratchet chided. "No head shots."

Lori coughed, admitted, "That's a first!" and continued to laugh where she lay on the ground. Barricade stood on the sidelines, looking unsure of what to do.

"Your girl is down, bro," Jazz whispered to Barricade. "You'd better help her."

"Barricade, take out opponents first, and then help Lori," Optimus said.

"But Lori is on their team…" Barricade trailed off, torn about whom he should help. Lori began to cough instead of laugh.

"You're trying to earn Optimus' trust, Barricade," Jazz reminded. Ratchet got to Lori's side and began to help her ease her breathing so she could stop coughing. Ironhide was still pinned to the ground by Optimus, although he struggled to get up so he could be with his daughter.

"She didn't set out a gun for me," Barricade explained. "I'm liable to get slugged if I try to grab hers… Primus, this is so stressful!" He put a hand on his head, looking troubled by his inability to make a decision.

"I'm fine, I swear," Lori muttered as she sat up.

"I'll end this, then," Optimus said. He kept Ironhide pinned as he shot one last paintball onto his chest, and then turned to Jazz and Bumblebee as they charged towards him and hit both of them in the chest.

"Lori, we can pause if you need a break," Ratchet said gently.

"I think Optimus just ended it," Lori replied. "Ow… damn, that actually stings. We can clean up and I can put 'Top Gun' on for y'all. I can miss it, since I've seen it over a hundred times." She dropped her voice so only Ratchet, and then muttered, "Don't be mad at me, but the checkup you give me will be my first since I was five… My mom stopped taking me because she deemed it unneeded unless I was sick, which was pretty much never."

"I'm not mad, just more concerned now," Ratchet said gently as he wiped the paint off Lori's forehead. "We'll clean up out here. Let's get you inside and washed up before anything." He helped Lori stand up at her own pace. Behind them, Lori could hear the others yelling "mercy!" as Optimus continued to fire on them.

"Optimus, be nice or I won't let you watch the movie!" Lori warned. He ceased fire quickly.

"Clean this up," he ordered to the others. "I don't want a splat of paint anywhere."

"That stuff ain't comin' off the grass," Lori said, rolling her eyes. "Since I don't see any on the driveway or my truck, they're good. Honestly, I think I do need to take you to a comedy show. Your stress is killing me."

"I'm not stressed," Optimus replied, his voice hinting that something else was bothering him.

"Oh yeah, I believe that tone," Lori muttered sarcastically.

"If Lori says this area is clear, it's clean enough," Optimus said, changing the subject. "Get yourselves cleaned up." Everyone simultaneously deactivated their holoforms; they reactivated their holoforms moments later, completely clean and free of paint stains.

"Well, I guess I'll get the movie set up for you," Lori said with a shrug. "Then I'm off to take a shower; a long, hot, steamy shower."

"You'd better not be anywhere near that bathroom," Ironhide warned Barricade.

"I've had a boot thrown at my head for that," Barricade answered. "I'm not making that mistake again." Ironhide glanced at Lori, and she smiled mischievously. She went inside and set the movie up, and was in the bathroom by the time the others settled on the couch. As she stood under the flow of the nearly scalding hot water, she could hear the movie progressing. Over the voices of the characters, she could hear her guests muttering a commentary, with the occasional chuckle as they figured out whom their movie character matches were. She silently mouthed along with the lines until she finished her shower. She quietly slipped into her room and closed her door to change into her pajamas.

As the end credits rolled, Ratchet noticed that Lori had quietly stepped into her room, but she had failed to return. While the others shut down the DVD player and the TV, he got up to check on her, not too worried. He slowly opened her door so it would stay quiet, and looked into her room. He found Lori sprawled out on her bed, dressed in her pajamas and fast asleep. He could tell the paintball fight had worn her out. Ironhide quietly brushed past him and properly tucked his daughter in. Lori smiled a little and curled up under her blanket.

"Good night, Lori," Ironhide whispered gently. He brushed her hair out of her face and looked like he wanted to place a small kiss on her forehead, but he didn't push the boundary and silently left with Ratchet, shutting off the light as he went. He and Ratchet met up with Optimus in the living room.

"Autobots, excluding Ironhide, return to base," the Prime ordered. "Barricade, well, you're not technically under my command, but you can call us if you need anything." He gave Barricade the comm link channel.

"Thank you," Barricade said, writing down the channel on a slip of paper. He placed the paper on the coffee table, where he and Lori could both access it if the need arose. Optimus nodded in approval before deactivating his holoform. All but Ironhide and Barricade followed suit, and departed as quietly as possible.

Ironhide and Barricade exchanged a look, shrugged, and deactivated their holoforms before going into recharge.


	5. Chapter 4: Start The Drama

**A/N: This chapter contains heavy cussing! Mainly Lori haha. But if you don't want to see that, skip on over to Chapter 5... although you'll miss some main story content.**

When Lori awoke, it was morning and her house was empty. She got out of bed, somewhat startled by being alone. Without warning, Ironhide's holoform activated in front her.

"Morning, Lori," he greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"Don't do that!" Lori snapped tiredly. "You scared me half to death!"

"Sorry, I didn't think about it," Ironhide apologized sheepishly.

"Apology accepted," Lori said, still only half awake. Suddenly, there was a loud clanging sound and a yelp of pain from Lori's garage. "Ooh, sounds like Cade dropped my jack lift on himself… ouch." What was he doing in her garage, anyway? She didn't keep her truck inside unless hail was coming down, and a piece of her past was hidden in there.

"Let me confirm that while you stay here," Ironhide remarked, looking cautious.

"Help, my foot is pinned under a cast-iron jack lift!" Barricade wailed.

"Do you need more confirmation?" Lori asked. "That lift is huge; the biggest one I could buy because my truck is so heavy it's ended up breaking all the other lifts I've purchased." She and Ironhide walked into the garage where they found Barricade, in holoform, with his foot pinned under the massive jack lift. His face was a grimace of pain.

"Dumbass…" Ironhide muttered as he stepped to one side of the jack lift. "On three, Lori… One… Two… Three!" He and Lori picked up the jack lift while Barricade cried out.

"What were you doing in here, Cade?" Lori asked while she returned the lift to its proper place.

"I glanced at your planner, and your truck is indeed due for an oil change, so I thought I'd be nice and prepare it for you," Barricade explained.

"I use the lift to change the truck's tires," Lori replied. "Not its oil, silly." Barricade nodded slowly in understanding. Ironhide chuckled softly, but then stepped back into the house to give the two some space. "Want some coffee? I usually make just enough for me, but I can always make more."

"Sure," Barricade replied. "Thank you." Lori helped him into the kitchen, since he was limping, set him on a chair, and put coffee on. "So, dad, when is Ratchet coming back? Do I have to go to him? Do you want coffee too? I'm making extra for Cade, and thought I'd ask you as well."

"I don't want anything, thanks," Ironhide said. "But it would be better if we went to Ratchet."

"Okay," Lori said with a sigh. "At least this way I'll know where the others live in case I have to get the hell outta Dodge. I'm a little nervous… My last doctor visit was a long time ago. I don't know if you knew, but mom was a stubborn woman."

"I did know that!" Ironhide answered with a sincere laugh. "That's probably what drew me towards her. Ratchet's a very good doctor, by the way. He'll make sure you're comfortable."

"Maybe things would be different if she hadn't been so stubborn…" Lori trailed off for a moment, as if trying to gather her thoughts. "I could see that she getting sick, but she wouldn't listen to me to get the proper care; not until she got so sick I practically had to drag her to the hospital. They could have saved her, if only I'd gotten her there in time." She sighed sadly. Barricade looked down, having heard this story before. Ironhide hugged Lori warmly.

"You did what you could," he assured gently. "Do _not_ blame yourself."

"Well, I can't blame her!" Lori snapped. "She wouldn't listen to me when I told her it was probably serious! To no surprise, it was! The doctors caught her at Stage-4 Lung Cancer… _a week_ before it took her life!" Ironhide held her tighter, his holoform slightly shaking.

"Lori, you need to look at it this way: she's no longer suffering," he said slowly. "Lung Cancer is a tough fight. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. I'm sorry your mother suffered. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you two when you really needed me."

"You're right," Lori said with a shaky sigh. "She's in a better place… maybe even wanting to kick your aft since it took you this long to figure out that you were my dad. She used to tell me just how she was going to open a can of whoop-ass on you. She was pissed." Barricade tapped her arm and motioned towards the coffee maker, which was cooling off, its pot filled with the beverage it brewed. "Good Lord, I am tired. I don't usually get this upset in the morning… Pour me my share." Barricade did so, looking happy that he'd gotten Lori out of her bad mood.

"We'll go whenever you're ready," Ironhide said as he released Lori from his embrace.

"Okay, but I'm taking my truck," Lori replied. "Letting it sit is bad for the engine." Barricade handed her a mug filled with steaming hot black coffee. Barricade put some cream and sugar in his mug of coffee. The couple enjoyed their coffee while Ironhide deactivated his holoform and informed the base he and Lori would be arriving there soon.

A small while later, Lori stepped out of the house dressed in a knee-length skirt, button-up blouse, which as usual fit short on her, and a pair of sandals instead of combat boots. Barricade looked at her quizzically from the doorway.

"This is new," he muttered, having never seen Lori dressed in anything other than a tank top, shorts, and boots.

"Very new," Ironhide agreed. "Why are you dressed so formal, Lori?"

"I'm going to your base," Lori answered. "It feels inappropriate to be dressed in my usual. I still have a knife on me, though." She patted one of her back pockets, where the outline of a rescue folder was just barely visible. She jumped into her truck's cab, saying, "Lead the way." Ironhide escorted her to the joint Autobot-human base. Lori watched as he got the two of them cleared to go in. He led her to the parking lot so she could park her truck. Once she'd settled into a spot, she jumped out of the cab, locked it, and then locked the custom-installed hood pins she'd had put on to prevent anyone from tampering with the engine. "So… where to now?" Ironhide transformed out of his truck mode and led Lori inside. They first had to check Lori in, but after that, Ironhide escorted her to a large hangar. There, Lori could see Optimus talking with some human generals than were on a high platform in one corner. Across the hangar, Jazz was training some soldiers how to take Decepticons down. Ratchet and Bumblebee were nowhere in the hangar. Jazz looked up, and grinned excitedly when he caught sight of Lori.

"Hey, Lori!" Jazz called. "Take a break, guys." He waved to the humans he'd been training before running to where Ironhide and Lori were.

"Hi, Jazz," Lori greeted back. "Uh, where are Bee and Ratchet? Maybe if Ratchet's not here I can just go home…" she trailed off, trying to think of a way to get out of this checkup.

"You're not that lucky," Jazz answered with a laugh. "The Hatchet is in his lab, and Bee is with his human."

"Did you want to go straight to Ratchet?" Ironhide asked. "We can wait for a little bit if you're not ready."

"Let's just go before I freak myself out," Lori muttered. There was no backing out now.

"Come on, then." Ironhide led Lori through the main doors of the hangar, down a hallway, though several more doors, and finally into Ratchet's lab. "Hey Ratch, Lori is here for her checkup."

"Hello, Lori," Ratchet said, putting down the item he'd been working on.

"Hi," Lori replied. "I'm getting kinda nervous…" she hated to admit it, but she felt compelled to around Ratchet.

"There's no need to be nervous," Ratchet assured. "We'll start with some simple scans and work from there."

"Okay…" Lori muttered. Ratchet gently picked her up and set her on a berth, making sure she was lying down. He flicked a switch on a scanning machine, and the results appeared on a nearby monitor screen. The images were of Lori's internal workings, and she could tell it wasn't quite what a normal human's inner body should look like. "That's a bit freaky…" she muttered.

"You're definitely different," Ratchet commented.

"No… really now?" Lori replied sarcastically. Without warning, Ratchet activated his holoform, complete with gloves on his hands, next to Lori, startling her all over again. "I already told my dad not to do that!" The monitor alerted Ratchet to an increase in her pulse.

"Stop being dramatic," Ratchet said, rolling his eyes.

"You startled me," Lori shot back. "At least give me a warning before you do that."

"Well, excuse me," Ratchet replied. "I'm not used to using my holoform here; we're usually free to be our true selves, but that would just make giving you a checkup tricky. Now; I'm going to need to draw some blood." He prepared a syringe and ran an alcohol swab over a spot on Lori's arm.

"Okay…" Lori muttered, shuddering a little. Ratchet casually drew up a fresh sample of her blood.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" He asked.

"I'm not used to this," Lori answered. "It's been so long."

"You're doing just fine," Ratchet said encouragingly. "Just keep cooperating with me and this will be over in no time." He brought out a penlight from one of his coat's pockets and turned it on. He then looked into Lori's eyes and down her throat. While he was examining Lori's throat, his and Ironhide's comm links went off in Optimus's voice. The Autobot leader was speaking in what Lori could tell was Cybertronian. Ironhide responded in the same language before looking at Lori.

"I have to go, but Ratchet will take care of you," he said gently.

"If you say so…" Lori said warily. She sat up and crossed her arm, looking nervous at the prospect of her father not being there.

"He can stop until I get back," Ironhide offered.

"He's right," Ratchet agreed. "I can wait for him to return if you're not comfortable without him here." He put the penlight away.

"If it's for a long time, we can keep going," Lori said reluctantly.

"It'll be at least a couple of hours," Ironhide admitted.

"Let's keep going, then," Lori decided. "I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm being immature acting scared like this." She felt glad she'd made a better first impression at the airshow. Ironhide cast one last glance at his daughter before he left.

"Alright, then," Ratchet said. "After we're done here, I'm going to have you lift some things to test your strength, Lori." With that, Ratchet briefly listened to her breathe and to her heart, since the monitor only provided her pulse and her breath rate among her listed vital signs. He liked being able to hear that everything was just fine, too.

"Come on, 'Hide," Jazz said from the hallway. "We'll try to make this as fast as possible. 'Bee is gonna meet us there."

"Lifting stuff sounds like fun," Lori admitted with a smile. She'd always had a good time with her roadie boxes.

"It won't be too hard," Ratchet explained. "I just want to see how strong you are in human and Cybertronian terms."

"Well, considering all the roadie boxes I've hefted, it shouldn't be difficult at all," Lori said confidently.

"Before we get started, did you bring a change of clothes?" Ratchet asked. "You're going to be moving a lot. If you don't, I'm sure I could find a soldier that could lend you something."

"I always have spare clothing in my truck," Lori said. "And I happened to bring my truck today, so it's out in the parking lot."

"Good," Ratchet said. "I'll take you there so you don't get lost."

"Okay…" Lori trailed off, but giggled when she realized why he'd asked. "Let's go." Ratchet escorted her to the parking lot and waiting while she retrieved her spare clothing. As the headed back through the main hangar, they could see a large group of military personnel standing on a platform next to Optimus. They were watching a variety of screens that showed Ironhide, Jazz, and Bumblebee on their mission.

"Wow," Lori muttered. "That looks like it'll take a lot longer than a couple of hours…"

"I just hope nobody comes back injured this time," Ratchet said softly.

"You can hope," Lori replied. "Let's get back so I can change. This skirt is starting to drive me nuts, to be honest." She hated how feminine she looked, and how out of place feminine clothing looked on her non-curvy, muscle-rippled body.

"I'll show you to the ladies' room," Ratchet said with a chuckle. He escorted her there and waited outside. Lori quickly pulled off the skirt and blouse, happy to putting on a tank top and shorts again, and she gladly traded her itchy sandals for broken-in combat boots. She stepped out, girly clothing in hand, looking like her usual self. Her tank top wasn't racer-back, so her scars were much more visible. Ratchet let her quickly set down her extra clothes in his lab before he took her to a room where it looked like a huge obstacle course.

"I'm going to test you on how much stronger and faster than regular humans you are, and I want to see how dominant your Cybertronian half is," Ratchet explained.

"This looks fun!" Lori remarked, poorly masking excitement.

"That's good," Ratchet said, "because I'm going be to testing you. I'll let you do your own thing for a little while so you can get familiar with the course before I make you run it my way."

"Awesome!" Lori exclaimed as she took off running. She laughed like a small child as she leaped over barriers and flew through the air on rope swings. Ratchet chuckled as he prepared the area for his test, having guessed that it would be less nerve-wracking for her. "Aw… This is too fun to be a test!" Lori was hanging upside-down from one of the rope swings, her legs entwined around the rope and the tip of her ponytail inches from the floor.

"It wouldn't be fun for a normal human," Ratchet explained, "but just by watching you run around, I can tell you have a much higher stamina than most."

"This stuff is so easy and fun!" Lori retorted, carefully untying herself from the rope and righting herself.

"Then let's make this not as fun," Ratchet said. He proceeded to tell her exactly what she had to do. It would have been impossible for a normal human since what he had in mind required certain speeds and certain levels of strength.

"It'll only be less fun if I have to wear monitors," Lori said, crossing her arms. "I really don't like those."

"Then thank Primus for Cybertronian technology," Ratchet replied. "You won't need those; I can just scan you. Whenever you're ready, you can begin." Lori nodded with a grin and took off again, still very much having fun. Ratchet took notes and occasionally scanned her vitals. As Lori went through the last part of the course, she overshot a platform beneath a rope swing and landed on her back on the cement floor with a harsh thud.

"Ouch…" she hissed breathlessly.

"Not perfect, I see," Ratchet muttered. His comm link went off and he listened to the message. "I'll be right there. Break time, Lori."

"What do I do?" Lori asked. "Do I stay here?" Now that the initial shock had worn off, her back was really starting to hurt.

"If you want to," Ratchet answered with a shrug. "The others are coming back, so that's where I'm going."

"That's good," Lori said. "Ow, man alive, I landed hard. That's gonna leave a bruise."

"You did that to yourself," Ratchet said. "I'm going to want to take a look at your back when I'm done, though." Lori nodded as she slowly sat up, swearing to herself.

In the main hangar, Ratchet found Ironhide, Jazz and Bumblebee returning.

"Mission success?" He asked.

"Yep!" Jazz answered happily. Under the commotion of their return and the activity of the surrounding humans, they could hear Lori swearing quite colorfully in pain. Ironhide instantly glared at Ratchet.

"What the hell!" He demanded with a snarl. "What did you do to Lori!"

"She landed wrong," Ratchet said as he roughly sat Ironhide down to address an injury on his shoulder. "She'll be fine. Besides, what better way to see how quickly she heals?"

"I fuckin' heard that!" Lori snapped.

"I love that girl," Jazz said with a laugh. "She cracks me up."

"Just hurry up and fix me so I can go back to her," Ironhide said sharply. Lori was still swearing colorfully, not seeming to run out of colorful vocabulary to rattle off.

"She's a good curser," Bumblebee commented. "I should take some lessons from her."

Optimus walked into the training room, and to his surprise, found Lori sitting on the ground with a grimace on her face and a hand draped over her left shoulder. He activated his holoform by the door and walked to Lori's side. He knelt down so that he was eye-level with her.

"Are you all right?" He asked. Lori gave him a half shrug.

"I overshot a platform and landed really hard. I'm kinda starting to think I might have broken something… my back is really hurting badly now."

"Do not move," Optimus said, saying the words slowly and calmly, but then anger could be heard clearly in his voice when he snapped, "Ratchet! Get your aft in here!" He then called the medic over comm link. The others came tearing into the room, all looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" Ironhide demanded.

"I think I got more than a bruise…" she trailed off in a sharp wince.

" _You_ were supposed to be watching her!" Ironhide snapped as he slugged the medic in the jaw. Bumblebee protected Ratchet from a pissed off Ironhide as Jazz tried to push them apart.

"Now is not the time for this," Optimus growled. Lori rolled her eyes as Ratchet finally got to her side and assessed her injuries. He very gently prodded her back in several places and asked her if she felt any pain. She shied away with a yelp every time Ratchet touched her left shoulder blade.

"That's where it hurts the worst!" She snapped.

"I'm so sorry, Lori," Ratchet said. "I'll be extra careful."

"You're gonna be ten times sorrier when I'm done with you." Ironhide threatened. Optimus had to forcefully remove Ironhide from the room. A group of human military medics rushed in and took Lori away from Ratchet. Lori did her best to protest, but the human medics paid her no mind as they helped her up.

"Well, this was an unexpected turn of fuckin' events," she snarled, actually scaring a few of the human medics.

"Yeah," Jazz agreed. Lori gave the human medics a deadly glare, but they continued to assist her out of the room.

"This is my fuckin' fault," Lori growled. "I took the damn rope swing too fast and let go of the damned thing too fuckin' late. It doesn't help that the damned ground in fuckin' cement." A couple of the human medics seemed shocked at her foul words, but most of them didn't seem to care. Lori cast a desperate look at Ratchet, but he only gazed back regretfully as she was ushered to the human infirmary. They had equipment that gave them a full view of the injury she had sustained: a large fracture that spanned her entire shoulder blade and her entire back was going to be bruised for weeks. Lori was minimally cooperative with the human medics, and realized that she trusted Ratchet much more than any of them.

That evening, Ratchet went to go visit Lori and see how she was doing. In the human infirmary, he silently took note that every human medic had some nature of black eye or bruised jaw; it dawned on him that Lori must have lost her temper and had lashed out at them. He found Lori nearby, sitting on a bed and massaging her hand as she looked at the ground and swore under her breath. She was wearing a brace that would prevent her shoulder from moving so it would heal, and she looked royally pissed off.

"Lori," he muttered softly, "why were you harming the people trying to help you?" Lori glared at him with reddened eyes and blotchy, tear stained cheeks.

"They weren't gentle with my shoulder!" She hissed. "And I've come to realize I have major trust issues, so when they started asking me how I got my scars, I got set off. Ugh! I should have been a pain in the ass and stayed home. At this rate, I can't drive, let alone change my truck's oil. I was an idiot!" She resumed massaging her hand and looking at the ground, and a stray tear or two fell from her eyes.

"Your truck's oil got changed, actually," Ratchet said, trying to brighten Lori's dark, deadly mood. "Optimus ordered Ironhide off base for a while to get him to calm down, and I guess he took your truck with him and got it taken care of." He sighed. "Let me do a quick scan; I won't touch you." As he took a step towards Lori, a human doctor got in his way.

"I think your kind has done enough damage to this young lady," the doctor said rudely. "I'll be letting my supervisor know about this incident and I'm going to mention how unsafe your kind is around humans. Now leave my facility." Ratchet glared at the doctor, but backed away respectfully.

"Someone will come for you soon, Lori," he assured before he turned and left. The human doctor turned to check on Lori himself, only to be backhand-slapped by her with such force that the bones in his neck popped.

"Piss off, jackass," she said in a low growl. "My injuries are my own damn fault. Unless you want more than that slap, I highly recommend you let my friend back in here. I trust him, not you." Her eyes were almost glowing with her fury.

"You're my patient," the doctor replied. "I need to make sure that you're taken care of properly and not around those aliens." The corners of Lori's mouth twitched slightly; she was amused at how irritated he looked from being slapped, but then her hand closed into a tight, shaking fist.

"I said piss off!"

Before the doctor could respond, Optimus, in holoform, and a high-ranking general walked in. The doctor saluted the general, but completely ignored Optimus. The general pulled the doctor aside and spoke to him quietly. Optimus just gave Lori a reassuring smile.

"I ain't smiling back," Lori growled. "Get me out me out of here before I kill somebody…" Optimus actually chuckled a little, cheering Lori up slightly, but she was still incredibly upset. "Well, finally… but I'm not kidding. I'm liable to kill that doctor if I'm here any longer!" She glared at him coldly while popping her knuckles.

"Nobody would believe you if you said anything," Optimus said with a smirk. Just then, the general walked over with the doctor, who now looked even more irritated.

"Optimus Prime, you're free to take Lori Azura," the general said.

"Thank you, sir," Optimus replied kindly.

"Next time, I won't be nearly as nice," Lori hissed, throwing the doctor the bird.

"Come on," Optimus said, rolling his eyes. He rolled Lori's bed out of the infirmary and into Ratchet's medical lab where all the others were waiting.

"Lori!" Jazz and Bumblebee said in unison.

"Hey…" Lori trailed off as tears began to trickle from her eyes and her lower lip began to quiver.

"What's wrong?" Ironhide asked gently. He was completely calm now.

"I lost my temper again," Lori admitted sadly. "I get set off so easily when I'm hurt…" she shut her eyes, tears running down her cheeks as she tried not to cry.

"Scrap, where's Barricade to be her shoulder to cry on when we need him?" Jazz muttered.

"You can let it out," Ironhide said as he activated his holoform. "It's okay; I have the same issue. Hell, I decked the 'bot that was trying to help you." He got a tissue and gently wiped Lori's tears away.

"I decked the people trying to help me too," Lori whimpered with a cracking voice. "I even threatened to kill one of them. I feel so guilty about it…" She leaned onto her father's shoulder, choking back sobs that were threatening to rattle her whole body. "I should have dragged Cade with me… he's probably at the house watching old movies on TV or freaking out that I'm still gone."

"You'll be free to go home after I do a quick scan and give you something for your injuries," Ratchet said.

"How can I possibly get home?" Lori asked. "I can't drive like this, but I sure as hell don't trust the staff here with my truck." Not after her experience in the infirmary.

"Baby cakes, that's why we're here," Jazz said happily. "You leave that up to us."

"Don't think I'll go easy on you," Lori warned. "If you damage my truck I _will_ get you back for it." She winced sharply as a bolt of pain shot through her shoulder.

"Lori, I think it'll be better for you to stay here tonight," Ratchet said. "It'll be easier on your body if you don't move around too much. If you're really worried about your truck, one of us can guard it."

"Oh, joy," Lori muttered sarcastically. "Poor Cade… we're gonna scare him to death; someone had better call him." When nobody volunteered, she sighed in annoyance. "Fine, go ahead and freak him out. I'm in too much pain to care." While Optimus called Barricade to fill him in on what was happening, Ratchet gave Lori some liquid pain medication. She coughed a spluttered at the bitter taste of the medicine, complaining that it tasted worse than cold medicine.

"It's something I came up with just for you," Ratchet explained. "It should do the trick."

"It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt," Lori declared sarcastically, "then all hell breaks loose."

"Pretty much," Ironhide agreed. His holoform stepped back a little, allowing Lori to see that he had some nature of bandaging on the shoulder on both his main body and his holoform. Lori smiled sadly at this sight.

"Wow," she remarked softly. "Like father, like daughter, eh?"

"Yeah," Ironhide replied with a chuckle. "But hey, Ratchet just gave you some good stuff. You should rest." Lori sighed heavily.

"Why does pain medicine always make people sleep?" She asked herself before yawning widely. "Dammit, guys…"

"You'll thank me when you wake up," Ratchet assured.

"That sounded so creepy," Jazz commented. As all but Optimus and Ratchet left, Lori rolled her eyes and tried to lie down, but getting comfortable proved to be impossible with her brace and her sore, rapidly bruising back still bothering her. They were able to see big patches of sickly purple bruising already on her back.

"I could give you something to help you sleep," Ratchet offered. After a few more bouts of Lori swearing colorfully from her pain, she finally agreed. Ratchet gave her a sedative strong enough to put her out until the next morning. Moments later, Lori was sleeping peacefully, and the monitor trained on her kept track of the hours that she would remain asleep.

Now that Lori was out cold, Ratchet decided to do what he'd wanted to do earlier in the day. He carefully turned Lori over so he could work on her back.

"Don't overdo it, Ratchet," Optimus warned softly.

"Ironhide will be undeniably upset with me, but I can do this," Ratchet assured. Lori whimpered quietly in her sleep, whether it was from pain or an unpleasant dream Ratchet couldn't tell.

"Make it quick," Optimus said, looking down at Lori in pity for her. He stayed for a few more minutes, watching Ratchet go through his procedure; he greatly treated Lori as a Cybertronian, but still kept in mind her human factors. As Optimus left, an idea came to him, one that involved Lori's truck. He found the parking lot that the silver vehicle sat in, tapped into the control systems of the truck, and disengaged the parking brake. He carefully pushed it into his own private hangar, where he could work on his little project in peace. He silently hoped Lori would accept the changes he was about to put her personal property through, but he felt it necessary in the times that her father would not be there to protect her.

It was late at night when he was finished, and he just as carefully returned the altered truck to the exact same spot he'd taken it from. He cast a glance into Ratchet's medical lab to see how the medic was progressing; in the now darkened space, dimly lit by the monitor screen next to her, he saw Lori on her own, lying on her back once more, still fast asleep. He smiled a little as he returned to his hangar to log some recharge.


	6. Chapter 5: Minor Drama (Part 1)

**A/N: This -again split up- chapter is actually a lull before some major drama involving major 'Con players! Hold on to your butts!**

The next morning, Lori awoke to the sounds of Optimus and her father arguing very loudly in Cybertronian. She sat up, and suddenly realized that her entire upper body was wrapped in gauze like a mummy, but she wasn't in any pain.

"What the hell…?" she asked softly. Ratchet looked over at her from his desk, activated his holoform, and looked at her monitor.

"How are you feeling, Lori?" He asked.

"Kinda glad to not be in any pain," Lori answered. "… My dad sounds pissed. What did you do?"

"Why would you assume _I_ did something?" Ratchet joked. "But yes, you father is very upset with me for not asking his permission, or yours, to do what I've done to you. Optimus is protecting me from him right now and trying to reason with him, but like you when you're angry, he's impossible to have a conversation with."

"So what did you do to me?" Lori asked. "I'd prefer to learn such now before I figure it out the hard way and get pissed off all over again."

"Humans call it surgery, but for a Cybertronian, it was a normal repair I could have done with you awake," Ratchet explained vaguely. "It was tricky with your human half, but now you should be as good as new."

"So…" Lori trailed off as she thought about the answer she'd gotten. "You're saying you fixed my broken should blade and cleaned up my bruises? Why is my dad so pissed off then? I hate being in pain." She had a high pain tolerance, but that didn't mean she liked testing the limits of that tolerance.

"He believes you were violated," Ratchet answered.

Lori scoffed. "Violated? Hardly. You're a doctor; you do what you think is right, even if who you're dealing with is giving you hell about it."

"I'm glad you think that," Ratchet said. "In that case, do you want to go calm your father down? You should be able to move just fine." Lori happily jumped up, stumbled a little on her slightly weakened knees, but made her way into the hallway, where she found Optimus and her father.

"Dad, quit freaking out!" she chastised. "I'm fine, see? You don't need to worry so much!" She frantically smoothed out her hair and grinned. Ironhide immediately picked her up.

"There is no way in hell I'm bringing you back here," he growled.

"Oh, relax!" Lori retorted. "Ratchet wanted me to feel better, so he did what he could do to help me. Would you prefer me lying in bed, bitching about how much pain I'm in?"

"Fine," Ironhide said, casting a sideways glare at Ratchet. "I'll spare him since you're not in any pain. But I'm still bringing you home."

"You're over-reacting!" Lori snapped.

"You're both really dramatic," Jazz commented as helped Optimus back on his feet.

"You stay out of this, Jazz!" Ironhide snapped.

"You chill out, dammit!" Lori snapped in reply.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the training room," Ironhide growled. He set Lori down and stormed off.

"I am _not_ about to deal with an overprotective father," Lori hissed. "Between my mom's death, touring, and meeting Cade, I lived totally alone in my house for four years. I can take care of myself!"

"Not on Cybertron." Ironhide's voice drifted down the hall.

"Ugh! Goddamn, stubborn, pain in the ass, fuckin' overprotective worrier!" Lori hollered at the top of her lungs. Ironhide stormed back, and the father-daughter pair proceeded to argue in loud voices and with foul words. The others just stood by and watched, unsure of how to intervene without being injured in the process.

Eventually, Optimus quietly ordered Jazz to accompany Lori for the remainder of the day, and to do whatever she wished.

"Hey, Lori?" Jazz asked hesitantly.

"What, Jazz?" Lori asked archly.

"Optimus is kinda giving you free reign of the base," Jazz answered. "We can do pretty much anything you want." Lori quit arguing with her father long enough for him to storm off.

"Free reign, eh?" Lori asked. "Well, I guess I take this time to make some more friends… hold that thought; let me get my spare acoustic guitar out of my truck! Don't I owe you a little performance?" Jazz grinned.

"We can do that," he said as he transformed into his Pontiac Solstice form. "Don't go crazy and hurt yourself, but show me what you got." Lori got in, but was a bit scrunched given her height.

"Not complaining," Lori warned, "but I'm a bit squished."

"Well, excuse me," Jazz huffed playfully. "It's not my fault I'm small compared to most mechs."

"There's a t-shirt I saw a while back that you and 'Bee would like," Lori said. "It had the statement 'I'm not short, I'm built low to the ground for speed and accuracy' printed on it."

"That is so gonna be my motto now," Jazz joked before taking off. He drove as quickly as he could while taking into consideration that Lori was bandaged. It seemed like in no time that they were at Lori's truck. Lori got out, giggling.

"That was awesome!" She declared. She gave her truck a visual once-over, mentally noting that it seemed to have grown since she'd parked it. "Am I hallucinating, or is my truck bigger than when I left it?" Jazz transformed at looked at the silver Raptor too.

"I don't see a difference," he muttered. "But then again, I still haven't picked up the differences between all trucks. So what are you gonna play on your guitar? I don't see you as a country girl." Lori chuckled as she unlocked her truck and retrieved the sleek black case containing one of her favorite acoustic guitars. It was rough looking, but it had been beautifully airbrushed with tribal-esque designs. She always kept at least an acoustic in her truck in case they'd needed it on stage during her touring days.

"Maybe I'm still loopy from the meds Ratchet gave me," she muttered. "Hm… I don't know. As for music, how about a little rock ballad? I know a sweet one by Poison." Before Jazz could answer, Lori's truck suddenly began to transform… into nothing less than a giant Velociraptor. Lori gasped in surprise and stumbled backward.

"Oh, frag!" Jazz exclaimed. "Lori, get behind me!" He stepped in front of Lori and raised his weapon at the Raptor. The Raptor reacted with a hiss of fear and put its tail between his legs, looking afraid.

"How did we scare it?" Lori asked, looking at the mechanical dinosaur from behind Jazz. It looked every bit like the robotic version of a _Jurassic Park_ Velociraptor, but with her truck's coloring instead of darker greens, browns, or greys.

"How could we possibly have scared this thing?" Jazz asked. He didn't lower his weapon, however.

"This doesn't make sense…" Lori said.

"M-m… Master L-Lori…?" The Raptor stammered. Lori just stared, utterly flummoxed.

"I'm even more confused now…" Jazz trailed off as he stared blankly at the Raptor.

"I'm really confused too," Lori replied. "Why would it call me its Master?"

"I was told to report to Master Lori by Optimus," the Raptor explained. "Do you know him?"

"Optimus?" Lori asked. "Oh, I see what's going on…"

"That makes one of us," Jazz muttered.

"You think my dad is still in the training room?" Lori asked.

"Probably," Jazz replied. "Why?"

"I'm getting the impression I was lied to when I was told my truck had been taken off base to get its oil changed…" Lori trailed off as she tried to figure out who'd lied first, and it wasn't sitting with her very well.

"Alright," Jazz said. "Well, we'll see how this plays out." He and Lori made their way to the training room, the Raptor following them at a distance.

"DAD!" Lori shouted harshly when they were in the doorway of the training room. Ironhide was unleashing the power of his deadly cannons at a variety of targets, but missed one since Lori startled him with her yelling.

"Lori, don't do that!" he chastised, looking annoyed.

"Well, since I now have your attention, what the hell did you do to my goddamn truck!?" Lori demanded. "It becomes your responsibility while I'm immobile, and suddenly I find it able to transform into a fuckin' Velociraptor!?"

"What the frag are you talking about?" Ironhide asked.

" _That_ ," Lori snapped in a deadly low tone as she pointed at the Raptor, which was hesitantly looking into the room.

"Um… Jazz, what did you do?" Ironhide asked, looking visibly surprised.

"Don't look at me," Jazz answered. "Believe it or not, it wasn't me this time."

"Lori, I didn't do anything to your truck," Ironhide said as he casually raised his cannons at the Raptor. The Raptor whined and held itself low to the ground, its tail between its legs again.

"Apparently, I'm its Master," Lori said. "Also, I think it's scared."

"Like I give a damn that I'm scaring it!" Ironhide snapped. "Where the hell did it come from?"

"As if I know!?" Lori shot back. "I went out to get my guitar, and suddenly my truck turned into that! Ugh, do you think Ratchet can figure this shit out? I don't think I'm ready for a pet that huge…" Although she inwardly admitted it would be a little fun knowing her truck was a Raptor in two ways.

"We're gonna take it to Ratchet, alright," Ironhide said, "but you need to stay away from that thing!" he proceeded to pick Lori up. The Raptor looked at Lori fearfully.

"It's okay, uh….. um, Shadow," she assured. "He's my father." The Raptor cocked its head, unfamiliar with the concept.

"You shouldn't name it," Ironhide warned. "You'll get attached to it."

"Well, I'm not just gonna call it Raptor," Lori retorted. "That's stupid. Besides, it called me Master…"

"It talks?" Ironhide asked.

"It did outside," Lori answered. "Let's see… Shadow, who is your Master?"

"You, Master Lori," Shadow said hesitantly, still crouched low to look less intimidating.

"See?" Lori said. "I know as much as you, dad."

"At least we're on the same page now," Ironhide muttered.

"Can we go see Ratchet now?" Jazz asked.

"Let's go," Lori agreed. "But put me down, dad. I wanna try something…"

"Be careful," Ironhide warned as he gently set her down.

"I know, dad, I will," Lori said. She looked at Shadow. "Um… Shadow… heel, boy…" in no time, Shadow obediently walked to Lori's side, stopping when his feet were in line with her heels.

"This is so weird," Jazz muttered.

"Take it easy," Ironhide said, looking nervous that Shadow was so close to her. "Let's see if you can get Shadow to follow you to Ratchet."

"Okay…" Lori said. "Uh, follow us, Shadow…" as they made their way to Ratchet's lab, Shadow kept himself at Lori's heel, taking care not to let his tail brush Ironhide or Jazz. As they walked into the lab, they saw Ratchet casually working on something. As the medic turned to greet them, his jaw dropped when he saw Shadow.

"Down, Shadow," Lori ordered softly. Shadow lay down, but looked at Ratchet nervously.

"Jazz, what did you do?" Ratchet asked.

"Why is everyone assuming it was me?" Jazz complained.

"Because it usually is you," Ironhide said. "Alright Lori, explain all you know about this."

"Well, he was -is- my truck," Lori began, "but apparently I'm his Master. He seems afraid of weapons being pointed at him, but hasn't yet questioned my command. I blamed my dad, but Shadow did mention something about Optimus… and by the way, when can I get these bandages off? They're getting itchy."

"Well, before you can take you bandaging off, I need to take a quick look to make sure you're healing properly. In the meantime, Ironhide if you could please radio Prime and tell him to get his flamed aft in here. He has some explaining to do." Lori snickered softly.

"I'm wearing clothes under these, right?" she asked.

"Yes, but only athletic undergarments," Ratchet answered.

"Don't look, Jazz," Lori warned with an unnerved expression, "I won't be decent…" Jazz laughed as Ironhide shoved him out of the room. "Jeez… Hurry up, Ratch…" Ratchet knelt down and gently prodded Lori around her shoulders and asked her if she felt any pain, all while eyeing Shadow. Lori shook her head.

"You're healing quickly," Ratchet commented. "You can take your bandages off."

"Wonderful…" Lori rapidly yanked off the bandages, but when she was done, she self-consciously wrapped her arms around her chest. "Where's my shirt? I can't go out there in just a sports bra… my dad will freak out."

Ratchet chuckled. "Most of the soldiers probably would too, but you left your extra clothing with me, so I have a shirt for you." He then handed her one of the shirts she'd kept in Shadow when he had been just her truck.

"Thank goodness," Lori said as she put the shirt. "Well, it's decent enough… Why do regular humans have to be so short? Nothing has fit me well since I started high school." She'd always had to wear scraps of material tied around her waist and ill-fitting, torn leggings to avoid dress-code infractions.

"You asked for me?" Optimus asked as he walked in, Ironhide and Jazz tussling behind him.

"All signs point to you being responsible for my new 'pet' Velociraptor," Lori said, gesturing to Shadow, who had taken the liberty to curl up.

"Yes, I'm responsible," Optimus admitted. "He'll act as your guardian when I can't spare anyone else to protect you. He'll obey your every command, Lori."

"So kinda like a most faithful pet?" Lori asked. "That's actually pretty cool. Sit up, Shadow." Shadow complied, although he looked a little drowsy now. She silently wondered if he would need to be fed when she sneezed. She rolled her eyes when Ratchet gave her a slightly concerned look.

"It's my job to be concerned for you," Ratchet said.

Lori huffed. "I know, but it was nothing." She then leaned against Shadow's haunches to tune her guitar. Shadow was smart enough to snort when each string was at the proper pitch. With her guitar tuned to perfection, she started a guitar version of " _Miss you in a Heartbeat_ " by Def Leppard. She sang along with the sweet melody, her voice almost hypnotic over the notes.

" _She's recovering at an extraordinary rate, this is good,_ " Ratchet told Optimus in Cybertronian. Optimus agreed silently with a nod as he watched Lori's hands dance over the strings to create the notes of the song. Jazz added in the other instruments played by Def Leppard's additional members with his speakers, but played it softly so they could still hear Lori. Lori smiled when she heard her notes mirrored by the piano that had played in the original song. She looked refreshed, younger even, when she finished.

"You guys should remember that good music can get me out of any sour mood," she said. "I feel great now. In fact, are you game for a little dance off, Jazz? In a more open space, of course."

"I'm down!" Jazz agreed. "Let's go."

"Where's a good spot for dancing?" Lori asked with a grin.

"Other than my room, probably an open hangar," Jazz answered.

"It's your choice, because I'm picking the music," Lori said.

"You're not going to Jazz's room!" Ironhide warned. Lori burst out laughing hard enough she almost dropped her guitar.

"What's wrong, Ironhide?" Jazz teased. "Don't like the idea of your daughter in a man's room?" He and Lori were both giggling.

"I trust Lori," Ironhide said. "It's you who can't control yourself when there's girl in your room."

"I'm already taken, remember?" Lori grinned evilly. "Do I need a wedding ring to make it official?"

Ironhide looked like he'd been punched. "Absolutely _not happening_!" He snapped.

"Just go to an open bay!" Ratchet snapped. "You're all stressing me out!"

"I think I got a nerve!" Lori teased. "Come on, Shadow!" She booked it out of the lab, Shadow following close behind. Shadow's tail brushed Optimus's leg as he ran by.

"It's like having a big puppy on the base," Optimus said with a smile. "Anyway, Jazz, don't do anything foolish."

"I won't," Jazz said as he went after Lori and Shadow. The three ran down the hall grinning until Shadow tripped over his own feet. The Raptor went careening through the air, and crashed to the ground, mere inches from the human medic Lori had slapped the previous evening. The human medic let out a frightened squeak before rapidly composing himself again.

"What the hell!?" he snapped as Jazz rounded the corner. "Is this thing with you? Does the Commander know about this?" Jazz's smile fell instantly.

"Oh no…" he muttered.

"Shut up, you're going to scare him," Lori warned. "Are you okay, Shadow?" Shadow snorted, but didn't move since he was still stunned from his fall.

"You gave this girl a dinosaur?" The human medic demanded. "What is wrong with your species?"

"Shadow is under my command," Lori snapped. "He'll protect me from anything; even _you_." Shadow snarled at the human medic, a line of spikes popping up along his spine. "Easy, boy. He hasn't done anything yet. Now sit up, Shadow." Shadow sat up and retracted his spikes back into his spine.

"That's right," the human medic snapped, "I haven't done anything yet. You just wait." He stepped around them. Shadow growled with all the viciousness of a _Jurassic Park_ Velociraptor, his teeth bared in the same style.

"Stay, boy," Lori muttered as the human medic walked away, but then she gasped as recognition spread across her face. "no way… Alex Woods, you get your sorry ass back here right now. You and I have some unfinished business!" She whipped around, cracking her knuckles.

"Was he one of your bullies?" Jazz asked.

"You wouldn't expect such a science nerd to be a bully," Lori growled, "but I can tell you with certainty that his football jock buddies corrupted him. I'm sure he wouldn't make that mistake now." Alex looked annoyed at this realization, but he ignored her and continued on his way.

"Damn…" Jazz looked crestfallen. "I didn't realize that jerks could get into important job fields."

"And he's still sore that a _girl_ was capable of breaking his nose!" Lori called after him. "Is your nose still crooked, Alex!?" She sighed as he turned a corner. "It's sad how many jerks hold important jobs."

"Isn't it weird that he didn't admit he knew you?" Jazz asked.

"Now that he remembers me, he'll be avoiding me at all costs," Lori said. "He pissed me off so badly that I broke his nose with my bare hand. I almost killed him actually… I was in a bad mood for multiple reasons the day he bothered me."

"I wonder how Ironhide would react if he knew that jerk, who gets on all of our nerves, had bullied you."

"Oh, dad'll freak out I'm sure," Lori said. "But I can keep Alex in check for you. It doesn't take much to hurt a human guy, and I know _all_ their weak spots!"

"That's why I'm glad you're smaller than me," Jazz said with a nervous laugh. "You scare me a little sometimes. In a good way, of course."

"Sorry about that," Lori said. "Sometimes my Alley Scourge attitude pops up… anyway, are you ready to lose in this dance off? Shadow, can you play my CDs?" Shadow nodded and flicked his tail over his left hip. Lori grinned and whispered something to her new pet. Seconds later, " _Back in Black_ " by AC/DC began to play. Lori started out with a strut that oozed sass, walking into an empty hangar.

"Oh, just you wait and see," Jazz said.

"Show me what you got!" Lori challenged as she did a flawless high kick. Jazz executed a series of Cybertronian and Earth styled dance moves. Lori threw herself into a backflip, landed in a handstand, and held it for a few beats before flipping forward to land in the splits.

"I'm flexible as well," Jazz said as he mimicked Lori.

"The splits usually hurt human guys because of their 'family jewels'," Lori explained. "Since I don't have those, I can do the splits with no problem!" She body-rolled back up in synch with the music.

"We're sensitive there too, but I'm good," Jazz said. Lori spun around to keep herself from falling as she laughed at what Jazz had said. She continued with the spin, kicking out a leg to maintain her balance.

"At least you know now," Jazz teased.

"It's still too much info," Lori joked as she stepped into a grapevine and then smoothly leaned into a ronde-Jon, arching her back and neck.

"It would hurt if you kicked us, but not as badly," Jazz said with a shrug. A group of military personnel from varying branches walked through the hangar, and the gazed at the dance-off with mystified expressions.

"I would be mystified too," Lori joked as she flipped into another handstand and spun around that way. Jazz threw in some break-dancing moves to show off his wicked spinning capability. Lori raised a brow at the dance moves, which seemed out of place being done to Rock-N-Roll. Then, the current song ended and was replaced with a Zumba piece.

"Oh, it's game over for you!" Jazz teased. Lori huffed, having no problem dancing with fancy footwork, kicking, spinning, and body rolls sassier than her father would approve of.

"Bring it!" Lori shot back with a grin. Jazz was going full out, having no problem dancing to the beat. Shadow kept the Zumba music playing until the disc was finished, and by that time, Lori was drenched in sweat. She was starting to slow a little, but she wasn't backing down.

"Hey, Shadow!" Jazz said. "I know you've got some moves. Show your Master how it's done."

"Moves?" Shadow asked, his head cocked.

"We can teach him to dance later," Lori said she went into a double back flip in time with the canned sound of a rocket taking off in the intro to Def Leppard's " _Rocket_."

"He doesn't know how to dance…" Jazz trailed off and stopped dancing, utterly heartbroken.

"We don't know how long Shadow's actually been alive, so how would he know?" Lori asked. She took the time to sop up some of the sweat from her forehead with her shirt, still tapping her foot to the drumbeat of the song.

"Still…" Jazz trailed off, no longer smiling. Shadow cut the music, looking like he felt he'd done something wrong.

"We can go to my house and teach him," Lori suggested. "I know a forest clearing that nobody goes to. And I could pick up one of my electric axes and shred a bit for you. I like Judas Priest riffs."

"I'm fine with whatever you want to do," Jazz said.

"Alright, then let's go," Lori replied with a grin. "Vehicle mode, Shadow." Shadow obediently transformed into his original Ford Raptor form. Jazz transformed right after he informed Optimus what they were going to do.

"I'd race you, but I don't think Shadow could keep up," Jazz teased. Shadow revved his engine aggressively.

"Don't encourage him," Lori complained. "Although he did a Dual-Overhead-Cam, turbo V8 engine as a regular truck. I had it custom-installed to make sure we could haul the gear trailer during tours."

"It's my job to encourage him," Jazz joked.

"I'd prefer to not get pulled over today," Lori said, sighing. "I think Shadow is wearing expired tags. I'm glad he's wearing a plate frame to cover up his registration tag"

"You're naughty, Lori," Jazz said playfully. "I'm glad I don't have that problem… at least, I don't _think_ I have that problem. But hey, we should invite Barricade. I still need to get to know him better."

"He's probably already at my house," Lori said. "He almost lives there he's over so often; he's also spent many a night in my spare garage in my backyard. He likes it in there. It's nice and cozy for him." She jumped into Shadow's cab.

"I thought you just barely found out about our true forms..." Jazz muttered.

"Yeah, but it makes sense now," Lori replied. "He would keep his holoform on, but he often said the spare garage was cozy. I'm thinking he wanted to stay so his former co-workers wouldn't find out about me."

"That does make sense," Jazz agreed with a shrug. "I personally can't wait to see his old buddies again. I'm just itching for another chance to drive around them in circles with my music on full blast. It drives Megatron crazy! I love it, but your dad doesn't see that as real fighting."

"My dad reminds me of the soldiers here," Lori said with a shrug. "They wouldn't consider that, and also lots of other things, real fighting. I'm a mostly-self-taught fighter, with skills learned from my mom. She was an Army-Brat thanks to my grandfather."

"Granddaughter of a soldier, eh?" Jazz remarked. "That' cool. I didn't know that about you."

"The house I live in now was the last place we moved into before my grandfather had a heart attack when I was ten. So it's more or less truly home. It's so remote there's little chance of an attack on it." They took off in silence, but a few miles down the road, the silence was just getting too awkward.

"So what was your grandfather like?" Jazz asked via comm link.

"He was a real sweetheart to me and my mom," Lori answered. "And he would have defended us to the death if he'd needed to. During the few months we lived at the house with him still alive, he cussed out this obnoxious group of hunters and scared them so badly that they turned tail and went back to wherever they had come from."

"What were the hunters asking about?" Jazz asked.

"Where the best areas for bagging trophy bucks were," Lori said. "They wouldn't stop pestering him, and ended up pissing him off. Normally he was a teddy bear, but he was one mean sonofabitch that day."

"You got your cussing skills from him, then?"

Lori laughed. "Probably. I guess it just runs in the family to be mean as hell."

"You did say your mother chewed out your bullies when you were younger," Jazz commented. "Ironhide can get pretty scary when he's pissed off too. We're lucky Ratchet can usually calm him down."

"And now maybe me," Lori joked.

"Yeah, maybe," Jazz agreed. "So what all do you have on your property?"

"It's a farmhouse property," Lori explained, "so there's a barn, tool shed, the spare garage, and a greenhouse in the backyard."

"I bet you played some intense games of hide and seek," Jazz said playfully.

"Mom wouldn't let me play that," Lori said. "Not with thick forest all around. She was afraid of me getting lost in the trees."

"Your dad would be the same way," Jazz said. "Hell, he probably wouldn't have let you near the trees when you were little if he'd known about you. Just look at the way he reacted to you breaking your shoulder blade and to Shadow."

"Yeah, I know," Lori muttered. "Jeez, he overreacted about that." They fell into another awkward silence for the last few miles to Lori's house. As they pulled into the driveway, Lori noticed some new additions to her house: an impressively large bench swing hung on her porch, and a huge bouquet of roses was placed on the bench swing.

"This is so cheesy, but so cute," Jazz said, struggling no to laugh.

"I'm impressed by the bench swing," Lori remarked. "Although now I have a place to watch the sunset and enjoy home-brewed iced tea. Wanna come in? I'm gonna get an electric guitar anyway, and sometimes it's hard to choose which one I want to play… Or, we could play the challenge mode on my dance game, and I'm a champ at it." She jumped out of Shadow's cab and stretched.

"I wanna play that dance game!" Jazz exclaimed as he activated his holoform. Lori laughed as she unlocked her door.

"Prepare to get whooped," she teased. "Shadow, you can stretch your legs in the backyard." She pointed towards the backyard as Shadow transformed and ran around. As Jazz and Lori stepped into the house, " _My Girl_ " began to play over Lori's sound system.

"This just got awkward…" Jazz muttered. Cade stepped into the living room from the kitchen, holding another new teddy bear.

"We can just drag him into a round too," Lori assured. "Did you miss me, Cade?"

"I missed you so much," Barricade admitted. "Watching old Westerns didn't do much to distract me. Oh… Hey, Jazz. What's up?" He did his best to look friendly.

"I'm doing good," Jazz replied. "What about you?"

"I'm doing much better now that Lori's home," Barricade answered. "I thought my spark was gonna stop, to be honest."

"I'm sure you weren't that freaked out," Lori said with a smile.

"You wanna bet?" Barricade challenged.

"You two are weird when you're together," Jazz remarked. "If you need me, I'm gonna be in the living room while you catch up."

"He's the weird one," Lori teased as she walked into the living room as well.

"Hey," Barricade protested.

"Are you gonna deny it?" Lori asked. Barricade just pouted. Lori giggled as she began to look for the mat that went with her dance game. She muttered about wondering where it went while Jazz helped her to look. She yelled in triumph as she pulled out from under her couch. She was gonna tear Marc a new one when she saw him again.

"Who's Marc?" Jazz asked.

"Oh, he's one of my former bandmates," Lori said, realizing she'd threatened Marc aloud. "He liked to hide my stuff in weird places. He's a real sweetie, though."

"He sounds like a fun guy," Jazz replied.

"You'd get along well with him," Lori commented.

"I get along with everybody," Jazz said. He tensed briefly when the distant, distinct sound of a helicopter's engine could be heard, but he shook it off. Lori shrugged as she set up the game and turned on her game console. They took their places on the mat as the game loaded up.

"You can come over any time," Lori invited as she began to dance to the heavy rock/techno piece. "Hell, maybe Marc will pop in when you're here. He misses me… he's blown up my phone telling me how much he wishes the band was still together." She threw herself into an aggressive spin and raised her arms in time with the bridge of the lyrics.

Jazz laughed warmly. "I'm gonna be over all the time! Especially since Ironhide is gonna be living here and Barricade's gonna be over all the time too! Your house will never be quiet again." His laughter faded as the helicopter's engine began to drown out the music from the game.

"What the hell?" Lori asked. "Choppers don't fly out here, because they'd scare off the deer and elk…" she paused the game and looked up. It sounded as though the helicopter were right above them.


	7. Chapter 5: Minor Drama (Part 2)

**A/N: No, This part isn't the major drama... yet. This is minor drama compared to what's about to happen.**

Jazz looked over at Barricade.

"What are you looking at me for?" His holoform's face fell when he recognized the particular sound of the helicopter. "Oh no… no… Slag! No, not him!"

"Who is it?" Jazz and Lori asked in unison.

"It's Blackout," Barricade answered. "He… was my friend of sorts… but I can't imagine why he's out here! I haven't spoken to another Decepticon in months!"

"Ah, scrap…" Jazz trailed off as his holoform vanished; he was making sure his true form was well hidden. "He probably won't wanna see an Autobot right now."

"Shit…" Lori trailed off as she looked into the backyard for Shadow, who was in vehicle form and tucked into the spare garage. She breathed a sigh of relief for him, but asked, "What are we gonna do?"

"If he lands, I'll go talk to him," Barricade said. "He has no reason to be out here other than to bother me."

" _If things get ugly, I'll reveal myself_." Jazz texted to Lori. Lori began to feel nervous, a new feeling for her; she'd lost all sense of fear after her mother's death… it had been shrouded by a desire for revenge and her temper.

Outside, Blackout hovered for a little while before transforming and landing in Lori's front yard.

"Barricade!" He called sharply. "I know you're here, so come out." Inside, Barricade cast a nervous glance at Lori before walking outside, still in holoform.

"Wat do you want?" he asked his former comrade tiredly. Blackout looked confused that Barricade was still in holoform.

"You haven't been heard from in some time," Blackout answered. "Some of us were wondering what happened to you."

"I've decided to go incognito," Barricade said casually. "I got myself a human job that I get paid for. It's actually pretty fun."

"I don't remember 'having fun' as part of your mission," Blackout replied, looking unimpressed.

"What do you care?" Barricade challenged. "It's none of your business."

"It is my business when you're not doing your job!" Blackout snapped, glaring at Barricade. The ground beneath Barricade shook before it fell in on itself. Barricade deactivated his holoform before he fell into the suspect sinkhole. He transformed out of his Police car form and charged at Blackout.

"Back off, I'm running solo!" Blackout huffed as Barricade rammed into him, but effortlessly threw Barricade off of him, nearly sending Barricade into Lori's house. Barricade sent Lori a text sternly telling her to stay in the house and out of sight, even though he knew Lori probably wouldn't listen.

"Why are you getting so defensive?" Blackout asked. "Are you hiding something?"

"I don't have anything to hide," Barricade shot back. "I've been running errands for my human boss, who's a really cool guy."

"That's not what Scorponok's been reporting," Blackout said as he glared at the house. Scorponok dug himself out of the ground between him and Barricade. Inside, they could hear the distinct _cha-chunk_ of a shotgun being cocked.

"Ah, slag…" Barricade muttered. Sometimes Lori drove him crazy with how stubborn.

In the house, Blackout's holoform appeared in front of Lori, smirking at the armed, angry hybrid girl.

"I don't care who the _fuck_ you are," Lori snapped, "but if you're not off my fuckin' property in five seconds, I will blow your ass fuckin' sky high. You wanna test me? I dare you, motherfucker."

"So you're the one my Lord is so interested in?" Blackout asked, his smirk never faltering. "Lori, isn't it? Cade hasn't been telling you the truth, little one."

Lori actually growled. "Fuck you. Shadow! I need help!" At the sound of Lori's voice, Shadow rapidly transformed and charged at Blackout's true form, roaring and slashing his claws at the large Decepticon. Scorponok retaliated, and soon the two animal mechs were tangled with each other, fighting fiercely. This momentarily distracted Lori, giving Blackout the chance to grab her shotgun and bend its barrel away from his holoform's face.

"Enough," the Decepticon said sharply.

"I'm not afraid of you," Lori hissed. But internally, she was truly terrified.

"You should fear the Decepticons, little girl," Blackout said.

"I'm not fuckin little!" Lori snapped angrily. She flinched when she could she could hear Shadow's cries of pain. "Leave him alone! He's not one of you!"

"You could have fooled me-" he was cut off as his holoform vanished at the sound of a small explosion. Lori ran to the window in time to see Jazz throw a grenade at Blackout so that he would have time to help Shadow.

"Barricade, a little help would be nice!" he called. This snapped Barricade out of his frightened trance.

"I'd be happy to," Barricade said quickly. "Nobody hurts Lori." He proceeded to fire his blasters at Scorponok, throwing the scorpion off of Shadow. Scorponok cried out in pain and looked at Barricade with confusion as to why he'd been shot.

"That's it!" Blackout yelled angrily. He aimed his biggest weapon at Lori's house and prepared to fire.

"Oh no…" Lori began to step towards her back door. Barricade turned on Blackout and kept him from firing the weapon.

" _Lay one fragging hand on my girlfriend and I will kill you,_ " Barricade growled in Cybertronian. Blackout wanted to retaliate, but Scorponok was badly injured and he cared more about the mini-'Con than Barricade's insubordination.

"You won't be able to protect her from us, or from me!" Blackout snapped, glaring at Barricade with betrayed optics as he called Scorponok to his carrier. He transformed and took off; picking up loads of dirt, he started to fly away when he suddenly turned around and fired several missiles at the house.

"Scrap," Jazz said as he ran to intercept the missiles, Barricade running beside him. Barricade intercepted most of the missiles to protect Lori and the house.

"Cade, no!" Lori yelped from inside as she watched the ex-'Con collapse. Jazz, who'd taken a few shots as well, called for backup.

" _Ratchet and Bumblebee are en-route,_ " Optimus replied. " _Ironhide and I will be there as soon as we can._ "

" _Frag that!_ " Ironhide's voice cut into the comm link line. " _I'm on my way! Jazz, take care of my daughter and Shadow… and I guess Barricade too…_ "

"Step aside, Jazz," Lori hissed coldly as she stepped outside, ninja stars in her hand. She threw all of them at Blackout with deadly accuracy and speed, managing to hit the Decepticon. Blackout flew back towards the house when the ninja stars struck him.

"Now you've done it!" Jazz complained.

"I can keep going," Lori snarled. "I have plenty of these, and he can have them. Ninja stars are cheap in bulk." She pulled more stars from her back pocket, taking care not to disturb the modified flare gun she'd stuffed into the waistline of her shorts, and threw them at Blackout with the same force. This time, though, Blackout was anticipating them and blew them away with his rotors. He fired more missiles, knowing that Jazz was the only one who could take the hits, which he did. Now that both Jazz and Barricade could barely stand, Blackout landed and transformed, facing Lori. He aimed his deadly weapon at Shadow, but didn't kill Lori's new companion.

"You're coming with me, Lori Azura," he ordered, "or your pet gets it; or your boyfriend gets to meet our creator. It's your choice." Lori looked down and put her hands behind her back as if she were thinking hard, when in reality she was getting her hands on her flare gun.

"That or I could kill you first," she snapped, whipping the flare gun out in front of her and firing. The modified plastique-explosive bullets hit Blackout in the chest, but to Lori's surprise, did minimal damage. Blackout smirked at her efforts, only feeling minor pain from the bullets.

"Last chance, child."

"Are you sure you wanna keep threatening me?" Lori demanded. "I'm in a real pissy mood, and you're about to be the one I let it out on." She retrieved more stars from her pocket, but these ones had small but devastating plastique-explosive packs strapped to them.

" _I honestly don't know what Megatron wants with an abomination like her,_ " Blackout muttered to himself in Cybertronian. He then continued speaking in English. "You may be the most powerful among humans, but among Cybertronians, you're just a little bug with a little bite!" He prepared to fire his weapon at Barricade, but hesitated since Barricade had once been his friend. This gave Lori the time to throw the explosive stars, and hit Blackout in the chest again. With Blackout momentarily distracted, Shadow took the liberty to limp into the barn. This irritated Blackout and he aimed his weapon at the barn as Shadow's wounded and bleeding tail slipped into the barn. He fired a missile, but it was almost instantly shot out of the air by another missile. Ironhide tore into the yard and rammed into Blackout at full speed; this sent Blackout through the air and away from Lori and the house. Lori could also hear a throaty V8 engine and sirens, which she knew belonged to Ratchet and Bumblebee.

"About time, guys…" she hissed under breath. Ratchet said nothing as he went to help Barricade, since the ex-'Con was more critically injured than Jazz.

"Your place isn't exactly nearby, Lori," Bumblebee said. "It's a little bit of a drive." He still drew his weapons and aimed at Blackout, who was recovering from getting rammed by Ironhide.

"Hey, I like it out here," Lori retorted. "The most activity is usually the hunters when it's their season. How that bastard found me is a mystery. Ratchet, Shadow's hurt too. He's in the barn."

"Why couldn't you have stayed on base?" Ratchet complained. "I'll take a look at him soon."

"This house is all I have left… of my… my simpler life…" Lori said, trying not to cry. "I promised my mom I would take care of this house. She begged me to on her last dying breath."

"I promise to protect the house too," Ironhide said as he and Bumblebee pushed Blackout father and farther into the trees. Lori shut her eyes to cut off her tears as she pulled the last of her ninja stars from her pockets.

"This is for my mom," she growled as she threw the stars. The spinning blades caught on one of Blackout's energon lines. A stray tear made its way down Lori's cheek as she glared at Blackout with a cold glare that if looks could kill, Blackout would have been vaporized. Blackout touched where the stars were still embedded, and he looked surprised to see energon on his hand. He looked up in time to get uppercut punches from both Ironhide and Bumblebee. Hurt and outnumbered. Blackout transformed to retreat. Once high enough, he unleashed a deadly combo of rockets and missiles at Ironhide and Bumblebee, and then flew off before they could retaliate. Ironhide took most of the shots to protect Bumblebee, but he was still able to move around just fine. He ran to Lori while Bumblebee ducked into the barn to check on Shadow.

Lori couldn't hold back her tears any longer. "If I have to live on base to be safe… I… I will… But I'm going to need help packing up." Her voice was broken as she tried to choke back her crying. Ironhide activated his holoform, which looked every bit as ragged and injured as his real body, and held Lori close to him.

"You won't need to move out," he reassured. "I'll be right here to protect you." Lori nodded sadly and threw her arms around him, shaking for the first time since the attack had begun.

"D-daddy… I'm sc-scared…" she admitted with a whimper.

"It's okay to be scared," Ironhide said gently, holding Lori closer. "Just don't let your fear prevent you from doing the right thing. You were incredibly brave and handled yourself amazingly against such an opponent. I am _proud_ of you, Lori, and I know for a fact your mother would be every bit as proud."

"Thank you, daddy," Lori said as she rested her head on his holoform's shoulder. Ironhide held her silently, swaying a little on his feet to make her feel confident he wasn't going anywhere.

Meanwhile, Optimus finally arrived with a dozen NEST vehicles along with him. Ironhide rolled his eyes at Optimus for showing up after the action had died down already.

"I don't want to be without a parent again…" Lori muttered softly. She looked up and toward the barn at the sound of Shadow yelping in pain.

"Don't worry about him for now," Ironhide said softly. "Ratchet will take care of him."

Lori nodded with a sad smile before she felt a dull pain below her waist. "ouch… dammit…" no wonder she'd been so defiant… she always got that way when certain bodily cycles came up. She may be half alien robot, but she definitely wasn't sterile because of it. Luckily, she'd already prepared, as much as she hated it.

"What's wrong?" Ironhide asked.

"Trust me when I say you don't wanna know," Lori said with a small laugh.

"Is it something serious?" Ironhide pressed. Lori began to laugh more, her shaking no longer from fear, but from how funny her father's confusion was.

"It's a human thing, Ironhide," Ratchet said while he continued to patch up Barricade.

"What do you mean?" Ironhide demanded.

"I'll explain it to you later," Ratchet said with a small chuckle.

"That doesn't help," Ironhide muttered. Lori was now laughing so hard her cheeks were rosy.

"It ain't fun, but is natural," Lori said around her laughter. Some of the female members of the NEST team overheard and began to giggle, knowing full well what Lori was going through.

"That's not fair," Ironhide complained. "Even they know about it! Seriously, what's going on with you?"

"Man, 'Hide can't handle this," Jazz said as he pretty much held himself together. He was bleeding through his hands, but he managed to laugh. "I wonder if he could have handled Lori as a teenager."

"It's just something he's gonna have to get used to," Lori teased. "Let me just say that basically, I am capable of having kids." Ironhide tensed.

"You haven't…" he trailed off at the possibility. "Have you?"

"No, dad," Lori said with a giggle. "I'm not interested in having kids." She'd seen too many videos in her high school health classes to ever want to travel down that road.

"Good," Ironhide said with unspoken relief.

"Well…" Lori trailed off with a giggle. "This is kinda awkward." She gazed out at the group of soldiers.

"We have awkward moment all the time," Bumblebee said with a laugh. "Makes life more interesting."

"Yeah," Lori agreed. "I guess if the soldiers aren't busy now, I could fire up my grill. Cookouts are always fun." All the soldiers lost their military stiffness and cheered at the prospect of getting food. Lori grinned in triumph. She looked over at Barricade and Ratchet, and her face fell.

"I've done all I can for you out here," Ratchet told Barricade. "But I highly recommend you come back with me to the base where I have all my equipment. I've only patched you up, but you'll live." Lori could hear an undertone to Ratchet's voice that sent chills down her back.

"Sure…" Barricade agreed weakly. "Primus, I'm in so much pain…"

"I'll need you to transform for me, alright?" Ratchet asked. "That way, Ironhide can tow you onto the base and not raise suspicions."

"But I'll miss the barbecue…" Ironhide complained.

"Stop complaining and help me with him," Ratchet said with a glare. Barricade was barely able to transform into his alt. mode, and looked like the victim of a demolition derby.

"Dad, you live here now," Lori said. "Just come back when you finish helping Cade. Ratchet, I've got tow cables in the garage if you need them." Ratchet activated his holoform and ducked into her garage to retrieve the tow cables.

"Thank you, Lori," he said, tow cables in hand. Lori could tell he'd seen the covered item in the garage, and hoped he hadn't lifted the cover and seen what was underneath.

"Fine, I'll help your boyfriend," Ironhide finally said. "I'll be right back." He gave Lori a quick kiss on her forehead, deactivated his holoform, and transformed into his alt. mode. Ratchet walked over to Ironhide and wrapped the tow cables around Barricade's front bumper, and then around Ironhide's rear bumper. The three drove off slowly, and Lori sighed as they left the yard.

"So who's cooking?" Jazz asked, trying to lighten the mood. "You got another secret talent?"

"Cooking is no secret talent of mine," Lori said. "My mom taught me how to make five-alarm chili that can make even a Marine sweat. I'll bring out all the food I have, but sadly, I don't have any booze for you all; sorry about that. All I've got is soda water, and fresh-brewed iced tea." She stepped into her house, gathered up the somewhat massive stockpile of food in her freezer, and returned outside with her arms straining to hold the packages of frozen food; she had hot dogs, hamburgers, steak, and ribs. She set the food on the table next to her grill, and then fired up the grill with the push of a button.

"Sometimes, I wish I were human so I could really eat this stuff," Jazz said, getting a chuckle out of the soldiers.

"I'm going to make a run to the store," Optimus spoke up. "Do you need anything, Lori?"

"Nah, I'm good," Lori said, lifting a brow. "Out of habit, I bought more than enough food for a big party the last time I went to the store. Being in a band develops weird habits."

"I'll be back then," Optimus said. He deactivated his holoform, and pulled out of the yard.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Jazz announced.

"My thoughts exactly," Lori said. She picked up a small remote that rested in a caddy mounted on one of the porch supports, and pointed it at her sound system inside the house. More Def Leppard began to blast out of the speakers, and after Lori aimed the remote at a console mounted just outside the back door, the music blasted out of waterproof speakers mounted all along the trim of the patio's shelter.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Jazz said over the guitar power-chords.

"I got these installed just for after gig-parties," Lori explained. "The party crowd never did stay in one place for long."

Before long, the unplanned party had caused everyone to forget about the recent Decepticon attack. Lori found herself back in her old groove as an expert host, so much that between cooking, serving food, and chatting with the soldiers, she was managing the party like a professional. The smells of barbecue filled the air along with the dull roar of conversation and the music playing in the background. Lori felt whole again, but at the same time, it was so much like the parties she'd had during her band days that she felt herself missing her band-mates terribly. She did he best to shake off the longing and focus on her military guests, but she still felt it at the very core of her heart.

 _Elsewhere…_

Blackout walked into the Decepticon base and was instantly grabbed by Bonecrusher.

" _You find your pal Barricade?_ " He taunted in their language.

" _No, I didn't,_ " Blackout lied, shoving Bonecrusher's hands off of him.

" _What the heck have you been doing?_ " Boncrusher asked, noticing that Blackout was wounded. " _Did you run into a ninja or something?_ " The gruff Decepticon pulled a ninja star out of Blackout's energon line.

" _Or something,_ " Blackout said with a sigh. " _It was definitely something sneaky._ " _Sneaky enough to sneak its way into Barricade's life…_ he told himself silently. Frenzy came running in right then, but the mini-'Con's expression fell when he saw that his partner wasn't with Blackout. Blackout didn't dare look at Frenzy; as much as he wanted to tell the mini-'Con where Barricade was, he didn't want to spread the feeling of betrayal.

" _Why the long faces?_ " Starscream asked as he walked into the main area of the base. " _You act as though a close friend had died. We don't have time for such emotion. Not when Lord Megatron grows increasingly impatient with each day ending without the hybrid abomination in our grasp._ " Blackout fought the urge to punch Starscream since he'd never gotten along with the Seeker, but he knew he'd be punished for assaulting his second-in-command.

" _This may not be serious to you,_ " he growled, " _but to others, it means a great deal._ "

" _I'm not sure what you mean,_ " Starscream said.

" _Never mind,_ " Blackout muttered, rubbing his head in frustration. " _I shouldn't have to explain. Just leave me alone so I can address my wounds._ "

" _Don't use that defensive tone around me,_ " Starscream warned. " _Are you hiding something? How were you wounded, anyway?_ "

" _I have nothing to hide,_ " Blackout said in a very calm tone. " _And my injuries shouldn't concern you, since you've never cared in the past. If you really must know since you're so nosey, I ran into some Autobots and their human allies while out on patrol._ " Luckily, it wasn't hard to bend the truth as a Decepticon.

" _Humans managed to wound you?_ " Starscream asked. " _How pathetic._ " Blackout wanted to retaliate for being called pathetic, but he needed to get his and Scorponok's injuries looked at, so he ignored the Seeker and walked away.

Optimus returned to the impromptu party nearly 45 minutes later, carrying plastic bags filled with the same food Lori was serving to her guests; he was replenishing her food supply. He also pulled a wheeled ice chest along that was filled with a variety of alcoholic beverages for everyone. He looked around, but realized that Ratchet and Ironhide weren't back yet. He considered retuning to base to check on them when Lori spotted him. She was sitting at a table she'd set out, playing a card game with Lennox, Epps, Jazz, Bumblebee, and a couple of other soldiers.

"Optimus, you didn't need to do this," she said, her gaze falling on the ice chest. "Things are gonna get interesting now."

"I was just looking out for you, Lori," Optimus said kindly. "You can get back to your game now." He set down the food and drinks by the grill, and then set out to socialize with other soldiers.

"Where are you going?" Lori asked in protest. "You'll be missing the fun!"

"Don't worry about him," Jazz said. "He's always like that."

"He's right," Bumblebee said. "Optimus has never gotten into parties."

"Fine," Lori said with a sigh. "At least everyone else is having fun."

"It's nice to just have a chill day," Jazz said. "It's a pleasant break from our chaotic lives."

"I'm glad I could help with that," Lori said. Bumblebee laughed and pulled Lori into an awkward hug. But Lori never was one to not return hugs and did her best to hug Bumblebee.

"You know, you're kinda like a sister to sister to me since Ironhide more or less raised me," Bumblebee said.

"Is that so?" Lori asked. "I guess I could get used to that. You know you're always welcome here."

"Thanks, but I've got my own human to hang out with, and I tend to crash at their place," Bumblebee replied.

"Oh well," Lori sighed. "But still, you can come over any time you like; even in the middle of the night… so long as you don't wake me up."

"Are you crazy when you wake up?" Bumblebee asked, raising a brow.

"I get cranky when rudely awoken," Lori explained, "although coffee gets me out of those moods."

"I'm gonna write that down so I don't forget," Jazz said.

"Because you're gonna be over a lot?" Lori asked, giggling.

"Absolutely!" Jazz answered.

"I'm glad for it," Lori said. "I don't like being lonely."

"Lori, Baby," Jazz said, "when are you gonna realize that you'll never be alone again? Between all of us and your boo Barricade, you're gonna wish you had some alone time."

"If there's one thing I've learned in my life," Lori replied, "it's that I don't like being alone. Having you around all the time is gonna be great."

"Well, that officially makes you a part of our dysfunctional family!" Jazz joked.

"I'm honored," Lori said, extending an arm to invite Jazz into the hug. "Come here!" Jazz grinned as he hugged Lori. As a joke, he lifted her up, although it looked ridiculous since Lori was actually taller than his holoform. Lori laughed warmly as her feet left the ground.

While Bumblebee, Jazz, and Lori giggled like children, Optimus decided to call Ratchet to see how things were going at the base.

" _Ratchet here,_ " came the answer. " _How goes it at Lori's house?_ "

"No sign of further Decepticon activity," Optimus replied. "How is Barricade?"

" _I'm working on stabilizing him now,_ " Ratchet answered. " _He took some bad hits, which caused ugly internal injuries. What I'm doing is risky and a long shot, but so far, he's still alive. I'm doing all that I can._ "

"Your effort is all Lori could ask for," Optimus said.

" _How is she doing?_ " Ratchet asked.

"Jazz and Bumblebee are entertaining her," Optimus answered. The three were doing a terrible Cancan kick-line with a few slightly tipsy soldiers, and they were all laughing heartily.

" _I never did get to look at her,_ " Ratchet said. " _Was she injured?_ "

"As far as I can tell, she sustained no injuries," Optimus said.

" _That's good,_ " Ratchet replied. " _Ironhide is eager to return to his daughter._ "

"I'm sure he is," Optimus said, "but I'm also sure you're having him help you."

" _It would be more pleasant if he weren't complaining so much,_ " Ratchet joked.

"Given who you're treating, he doesn't have a reason not to," Optimus said. "I'm impressed how dramatically Barricade has changed in the time he has spent with Lori."

" _I can barely believe it myself,_ " Ratchet said. " _As humans say, Lori has him wrapped around her little finger._ " Optimus held back a chuckle. Lori exposed a soft spot in all of them, himself included. He glanced back her, smiling at the continuing sloppy kick-line. All that currently mattered was that Lori hadn't been mentally scarred by the attack, and it so far seemed that she was just fine. If she was anything like her father, then it would take many more years of war to damage her innocence. She was already battle-hardened by the small scraps she'd gotten into, but like her father, those fights made her tougher, and honed her technique.

"I shall continue to keep an eye on the situation," Optimus said.

" _Alright, I'll let you go,_ " Ratchet said.

Lori watched as Optimus put away his holoform's cell phone. As much fun as the kick-line was, she couldn't shake the feeling Optimus was troubled.

"Is there any way we can Optimus to relax and enjoy himself for a little while?" She asked Jazz.

"Probably not," Jazz said with a sigh. "He's been affected the most by our war." His face darkened briefly as the effect the war had had on him showed itself, but he just as quickly shook it off and grinned at Lori. This wasn't sitting well with her, and soon the kick-line dissolved. The tipsy soldiers wandered off to their other friends, leaving Lori with Jazz and Bumblebee. Lori stood in a way that made her look as though she were sizing up Optimus to fight, but if one were so look into her eyes, they would not see malice; her eyes glimmered with thought as she tried to think of a way to soothe Optimus's troubles. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with an idea.

"you know what?" She said. "I won't let it bring us down too; I have an idea." She nonchalantly walked up behind Optimus, who was gazing into the trees as thoughts ran through his mind, and threw her arms around him in a warn hug. Optimus stiffened and looked behind him, but relaxed into the hug when he saw that it was Lori.

"Can I help you?" He asked with a smile.

"you looked like you needed a hug," Lori answered. "Any time you need 'em, I'm here to give 'em. And I give the best hugs."

"Thank you, Lori," Optimus said. "I will remember that." Lori saw a change in his holoform's eyes that she couldn't quite place, but she knew it was good. Suddenly his holoform's cellphone went off again, and without a word he answered it and listened to the message. "I have to go, Lori, but enjoy the rest of your cookout."

"Alright," Lori said with a sigh, "but come back anytime. You and all the soldiers are always welcome here."

"Trust me when I say I'd prefer to be here," Optimus said. With that, he deactivated his holoform and drove away. Lori sighed as she watched him go.

"Hey, Jazz, Bee," she said, "you wanna play a round of what I like to call Ultimate Twister?"

"Yes!" They answered at the same time.

"Perfect," Lori said. She quickly ducked back inside to grab her Ultimate Twister mat, which was really just multiple regular Twister mats held together with duct tape. Everyone looked on as Lori rolled out nine individual Twister mats taped together to accommodate even more players. She stood up and invited people to play. A good-sized crowd gathered, and one soldier even offered to hold the spinner. Lori quickly stretched and explained that the rules were the same, just on a larger scale. The soldiers took off some of their armor so that they could play more easily, and stretched as well. Jazz and Bumblebee exchanged a look.

"This is gonna be easy," Bumblebee said. "Too bad we don't have something like this for our real bodies. That would make this ten times more fun."

"Heck yeah it would," Jazz agreed. "Maybe in our free time we could make a Twister mat of our own."

"That would be a sight!" Lori said with laugh as she stepped onto the mat.

"When it's done, we'll invite you over so you can check it out," Jazz said as he stepped onto the mat too.

"I'll accept that invite if my dad isn't still mad at Ratchet for helping me without asking his permission first," Lori said. "Jeez, he seriously over-reacted about that."

"Ironhide is a protective kind of 'Bot," Bumblebee said. "He acts like he doesn't care, but he's the one who probably cares the most."

"I wonder if my mom knew who and what he was, and raised me to be more like him," Lori muttered.

"You should definitely ask him if he told her," Bumblebee encouraged.

"He might not like my asking, but I will," Lori said. She shrugged and gave the soldier holding the spinner a thumbs-up to start the game. He flicked the little arrow happily.

"Left hand yellow!" he called. Lori went into a handstand with the correct hand on the correct spot. Bumblebee and Jazz, didn't set their feet down with any fancy moves, but both got serious as the game began; they had a competitive streak.

"This is about fun, you two," Lori said, rolling her eyes.

"Right foot blue!" the soldier yelled. Lori gracefully lowered herself into place while everyone else jus bent over.

"We are having fun, just competitively," Bumblebee joked, grinning mischievously.

"Call another, Jake!" Jazz called.

"If you say so," Lori said with a sigh.

"Right hand red!" Jake called. Lori had to arch her back to reach, but the others simply stepped or slid their feet into place.

"Don't fall, Lori," Jazz teased. He was having no problem since wasn't doing anything fancy to get his hands or feet in the right spots.

"Very funny," Lori said. "I've been playing this game since I was little." She made a mental note to show Jazz all the pictures in her mother's scrapbook of her playing Twister.

"Left foot green!" Jake yelled over the dull roar of the joking and conversation of all the players. This time, Lori placed her foot in the correct spot as smoothly as everyone else did. Even though the game had just begun, some of the soldiers were already getting tied up with each other. Lori couldn't help but laugh with them. More limbs got tied up as the game continued, while others got untangled. Lori's height and flexibility kept her from getting tangled up for the most part. But eventually, even she was quite tangled up with Jazz and Bumblebee. She was tangled up further by the time her father and Ratchet returned.

"What's going on here?" Ratchet asked.

"It looks like an intensified version of that human game Twister," Ironhide replied.

"Oh, hi!" Lori said as she looked up. "Wanna join us?"

"Left hand blue!" called Jake. Lori reached for the correct spot, but her other hand slipped and she fell; in a domino effect, she knocked everyone else down. They all erupted into gales of hearty laughter.

"I wouldn't be caught dead playing such a ridiculous game," Ratchet said.

"You would be if you were drunk," Ironhide teased. "You've done some surprising stuff when you're intoxicated. But I'm going to decline too, Lori. I'm not a fan of being tangled up with that many people."

"You two are no fun," Lori pouted as she carefully got up from the pile-up. "There's still plenty of food if want any, and Optimus brought drinks."

"We're not into being the life of the party," Ironhide admitted. "We'll leave that up to you and Jazz."

Lori pinched the bridge of her nose. "I guess I shouldn't ask if you guys wanna play Cards Against Humanity… trying to get you guys to relax and have some fun is like trying to tell jokes at a tea party! Seriously, you're too stiff!"

"I'm not playing that indecent game!" Ratchet snapped.

"I love that game!" Ironhide said. "Come on, Ratch, you have to play with us."

"I have the best dad ever!" Lori declared as she ran back into her house to gather up all her cards. Ironhide grinned pridefully as Jazz came up beside him.

"Best dad ever, eh?" he teased. "I should get you a T-shirt or mug with that statement on it."

"Shut up, Jazz," Ironhide said as he shoved the smaller mech away. Jazz shoved back, and soon the two were wrestling each other. Lori had overheard what Jazz had said and an almost evil grin had spread across her face. She wanted to thank Jazz for giving her such a wicked idea, but he was occupied with her father.

"Dad, leave Jazz alone, will ya?" she asked. "I have to ask you something anyway."

"Is everything okay?" he asked as he tossed Jazz over his shoulder like a rag doll. He activated his holoform so he could be closer to his daughter.

"It's about mom," Lori answered as she shrugged off a laugh. "Did she know about you?" When Ironhide's cheery expression faded, she asked, "Was I wrong to ask?"

"No, you're fine," Ironhide said with a gentle smile, "you just caught me by surprise. Why do you ask?"

"I'm so much like you," Lori explained. "Mom might have been an Army-Brat, but I'm still more like you than her."

"I didn't know how to bring it up," Ironhide said. "And I figured our relationship wasn't going to last, so no, I didn't tell her."

"So you kinda had a one-night-stand?" Lori asked softly. "She told me she'd tried to get a hold of you to tell you she was expecting me, and that she was pretty pissed that she never could find you."

"Pretty much," Ironhide softly replied. "I didn't know she was trying to contact me, but then again, I never did give her any means to do so."

"That makes sense," Lori said. "I'm glad you told me."

"Of course, Lori," Ironhide said gently, holding Lori to him. This earned a round of aww's from the soldiers, to which both Ironhide and Lori glared; every soldier was immediately silent.

"Would you know how to fix a bent shotgun barrel?" Lori asked, just to change the subject. "I had to brandish mom's 12-Gauge earlier."

"Weapons are my specialty," Ironhide said, smiling at the memories of Alexa threatening to shoot him with said shotgun. "Of course I can fix it. What happened to it, though?"

"I'd had it aimed at Blackout's holoform, and he grabbed the barrel and bent it out of his way."

"I'm going to kill that overgrown 'Con the next time I see him," Ironhide growled. "Not only did he attack you, but he damaged your mother's shotgun… let me take a look." Ironhide thought about the firearm while Lori ducked back inside to retrieve it. Alexa had threatened to shoot him with it when he'd first met her. Her stubbornness had only made her more attractive to him, and so he'd continued to pester her to go on a date with him. For some unknown reason, she never made true on her threats, and they finally went on their date. One thing had led to another, and it had led to Lori. He should have known his holoform was capable of conceiving with humans, since it was little more than extension of himself, but he didn't regret it. His only regret was not helping raise Lori, even though she'd grown up just the way he would have wanted her to. Alexa had done a stellar job taking care of his baby girl. As Lori stepped out of the house, Ironhide could see the shallow angle bent into the steel barrel. It would be an easy fix.

"Will you be able to fix it?" Lori asked.

"Absolutely," Ironhide said gently. "It'll be an easy fix."

"Thank goodness," Lori said with a sigh. "I'll probably need modified shotgun shells that capable of hurting the 'Cons."

"I wouldn't let you stay here without them," Ironhide said. "I'll give you what I give the NEST soldiers; those shells with hurt Cybertronians."

"That's perfect," Lori said. "I can't wait to get my revenge."

"Blackout and Barricade were once friends," Ratchet said. "Do you think he'll be alright with that?"

"He took more hits that Jazz for my sake," Lori said. "I think he'll be fine with it."

"True enough," Ratchet said. "But Blackout wasn't aiming for him."

"I know," Lori replied, "but he did fire on Blackout scorpion-partner-thingy pretty willingly."

"Barricade shot Scorponok?" Jazz asked in surprise. "Damn, he'll be at the top of Blackout's kill list now."

"Blackout adores that mini-'Con," Bumblebee added. "Those two bonded pretty well in the war."

"Scorponok was attacking Shadow, so Cade did what he needed to in order to protect my new companion," Lori explained.

"Sounds like you and Shadow already have a bond," Jazz said happily.

"He's still my truck," Lori said, "and I loved him before he was alive… Hey, Ratchet? Can you go check on him now? He's still in the barn."

"Of course I'll take a look at him," Ratchet said gently. "After I make sure you're not injured too."

"But I'm not injured," Lori protested, yawning. Ratchet's holoform appeared beside her.

"Sounds like you're tired," he said. He quickly looked Lori over, and found no cuts scrapes, or bruises.

"I'll kick everyone out," Ironhide offered.

"Don't kick them out, we're still having fun," Lori complained. But a rumbling sound overhead signaled the end of the party anyway. "Damn it. Y'all can come back over any time! I love company." With a heavy sigh, she set herself down on her new bench swing. Ironhide, Jazz, Bumblebee, and Ratchet quickly cleaned up the yard and helped the soldiers get on their way as the sky continued to darken, and they were finished cleaning up before Lori could protest further. She laughed tiredly as Ironhide's holoform picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

"Just let me be fatherly for once, alright?" Ironhide asked gently.

"That's cheesy," Lori teased, "but so cute at the same time. Just no lullabies, okay? I'm too old for those."

"I leave that up to Jazz," Ironhide said.

"No, I'm too old for lullabies, Jazz…" Lori trailed off in a wide yawn.

"That's what they all say," Jazz said, rolling his eyes. He started humming a melody Lori didn't recognize. Before long, and before she could react, Lori struggled to keep her eyes open as she drifted off into sleep as Jazz continued to hum the Cybertronian lullaby and Ironhide gently rocked her side to side. Her head slowly keeled over onto Ironhide's shoulder as her eyes finally fluttered closed.

"Daddy… Don't let go of me…," she muttered in her sleep.

"Never," Ironhide whispered as he continued to rock her. Lori smiled gently as Ironhide carried her to her room and closed the door. He carefully changed Lori into her pajamas, ignoring the sight of his daughter in her underwear, and placed her clothes in a basket. He then gingerly set her down on her bed, draped her blanket over her, and tucked her in; when it was obvious that she was sound asleep, he placed a small kiss on her cheek. He silently stepped out of her room, and then turned off the light as he exited. He deactivated his holoform and parked himself in the surprisingly roomy spare garage, chuckling softly to himself as he listened to Ratchet tell Shadow to stay quiet while the medic repaired the wounded Raptor. Jazz and Bumblebee left soon after. Ratchet left once Shadow was fully repaired and sleeping, and Ironhide drifted into recharge with thoughts of his precious daughter on his mind.


	8. Chapter 6: Unexpected Guest

**A/N: Ooooh, a ghost! Mama Lexy will play a major part in future chapters of the story~!**

In the morning, Lori awoke to the smell of breakfast and the sounds of bickering.

"You can't cook," Ratchet chided from the kitchen.

"Yes, I can," Jazz retorted.

"Ironhide, get your weapons off the table," Ratchet said. He sounded so motherly it was almost funny.

"These aren't my weapons," Ironhide replied. "These are for Lori." At the sound of her name, Lori finally got up and looked the time.

6:45 A.M.

"It's too early for this crap…" Lori muttered as she dragged herself into the kitchen. "What's going on in here…?"

"I made you breakfast!" Jazz said enthusiastically.

"I live here now," Ironhide said.

"I returned to see how you're healing," Ratchet said. "Take a seat and let me see your back, please." Lori sighed tiredly, but dropped herself into a chair. Ratchet gently lifted her pajama shirt and examined her shoulder while she nibbled on the toast Jazz had made for her.

"It's still too early for you guys to be arguing," she said as she yawned widely.

"Of course we're up," Ironhide explained. "Days on Cybertron were a lot longer. As for the arguing… well… have you met us? It's kind of all we really do."

"You're too much," Lori said. She turned her attention to her living room at the sound of something falling over.

"Do you have a cat or something?" Jazz asked.

"No way," Lori answered. "A cat would mess up the band gear. But I've always kinda believed in ghosts…"

"Who you gonna call?" Jazz joked.

"Ghosts don't exist," Ratchet said.

"I don't know, Ratch," Jazz replied. "This planet does have some crazy slag."

"Honestly, this isn't the first time something's fallen over randomly in this house," Lori said. She shuddered as if the room were suddenly very cold. Ironhide grabbed the blanket draped on the couch and immediately wrapped it around Lori.

 _Ironhide…_ came a faint whisper from the living room. Both Ironhide and Lori tensed.

"That sounded like… mom…" Lori stammered.

"Your mother?" Jazz asked.

"Your _dead_ mother?" Ratchet added.

"Way to put it nicely," Jazz said.

 _Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to see me?_ The voiced asked, having gained some strength. _Honestly, Ironhide, I didn't think you were so dense._

"Yeah, that's her alright," Lori said breathlessly, all the color draining from her face.

"I know it too," Ironhide said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ratchet scolded. "Alexa Azura is gone; watch." He proceeded to walk into the living room, where to his surprise, he found a semi-transparent apparition of Alexa Azura. Alexa was clad in a long, flowing, strapless white dress, her curly auburn hair was pulled back into a medium-high ponytail, and she didn't look amused. Ratchet's holoform tripped over furniture as he backed away in surprise, and the sirens on his real body went off as well.

"You okay, Ratch?" Ironhide asked. Lori unwrapped herself from the blanket and stepped into the living room to see what was going on, but froze dead in her tracks when she saw the ghost of her mother.

 _Are they taking good care of you, baby?_ Alexa asked, her voice stronger still. Lori nodded silently, eyes wide. Ironhide and Jazz finally looked into the living room; Jazz looked confused, but Ironhide's holoform was just as pale as his daughter was.

 _Alright already,_ Alexa said with a sigh. _Get yourselves together. I don't have long until I'm too weak to hold this semi- visible and audible form._

"You can't really blame us for freaking out," Ironhide said. "This is incredibly weird on so many levels… but it's good to see you again." Ironhide reached out to take Lori's hand, wondering how she was coping with this experience. Lori clasped his hand tightly.

 _It's good to see you too, Ironhide,_ Alexa replied, a longing smile spreading across her features.

"Wait, how do you know my real name?" Ironhide asked in shock. "Did you know what I was when we met?"

 _I was more involved with your shenanigans than you know,_ Alexa answered. _But I didn't know the truth about you when we first met; my cousin Darlene, who you know as The Tannerite Queen, filled me in. It's why I never made true on my threats to shoot your aft. Now sit down and listen to me. I have some explaining to do._

"What are you talking about, mom?" Lori asked.

 _I didn't die the way you were told…_ Alexa trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked.

 _I was poisoned by your enemies… the Decepticons?_ Alexa answered. _Anyway, they engineered a poison that acted, and felt, like the deadly cancer all were so sure I had._

"How did they manage to poison you?" Ironhide asked, his grip on Lori's hand turning to steel. Lori grimaced softly.

 _When we first moved here, I landed a job as a bartender at Lazy J's Ranch Bar,_ Alexa began. _One of the Decepticons cornered me behind the bar after my shift had ended and forced the poison down my throat, then poured Jack Daniels after it. It gave me a bad headache. Darlene happened to be there and knew who was pestering me, but she only saw the Jack Daniels go down my throat. I was too afraid to tell her what had really happened. She brought me here so I could try to fight off the hangover with water and sleep, but the damage had already been done. Lori, my sweet baby girl, I was stubborn because I was afraid of the Decepticons trying to kill me faster if I sought help._

"Which Decepticon did this, and why?" Ratchet asked.

 _That blithering idiot Starscream is responsible,_ Alexa answered. _As for why, it should be obvious. They want Lori; she's got human flexibility combined with Cybertronian strength, a short temper that I'm amazed hasn't gotten her into trouble, and she's incredibly smart._

"If they want me so badly, how am I not in their clutches?" Lori asked.

 _Your band kept you safe, baby,_ Alexa said. _You were so mobile and low-key that they couldn't locate you. Talent aside, you took a safety measure I would have pushed for, had I lived. Your drummer Josie is Darlene's niece, and she knows everything too._

"I'd say we better get the band back together," Jazz said.

"We'd better tell Optimus about this," Ratchet added. Ironhide said nothing, but everyone could read his face, and he was planning ways to carry out the death sentence Starscream had earned by messing with the weapons specialist's family.

 _I can arrange that,_ Alexa said cryptically. _I can influence thoughts, even without being visible. Also, Lori, I approve of your choice for your boyfriend. Given your Cybertronian half, I wouldn't have wanted you to suffer the grief of watching a human loved one growing old and dying while you stayed relatively young and chipper. Hopefully, your band will retire happily before you have to see you have to see them age too._

"I would love that part of my old life back," Lori said softly. She relaxed as Ironhide's grip eased; Alexa's soothingly soft voice was calming him down.

 _Ironhide, did it really need to take you this long to discover your daughter?_ Alexa chastised. _If you'd given me a way to keep in touch with you, I feel certain things would be different. You take care of her, but for pity's sake don't over-protect her. She's fully capable of handling herself. She's more like you than you can imagine._

"I can't help it," Ironhide said. "She's my little girl and I wanna make sure she's safe." Lori rolled her eyes.

 _You haven't changed at all,_ Alexa said with a giggle. _You're still the same persistent but lovable guy I fell for all those years ago. I'm glad you finally found out about Lori. It pained me to see her suffer loneliness until she met Barricade… and now you._ Her form dimmed, and she cursed. _The force that allows me to be this way is low. I have to rest for now, but know that I'm watching over you. If you need answers to any questions, I have my ways of answering. I love you both._ With that, she slowly faded from view.

"Well… That happened," Lori muttered.

"If stuff like this happens a lot, I'm living here too," Jazz said.

"Well… didn't see that coming," Ratchet said. "We have to tell Optimus about this."

"There's no way he'd believe us," Lori replied. "He'd think we have toys in our attics!"

"We can convince Optimus," Ratchet assured, "but you should be the one to tell Barricade what your mother said. In fact, would you like to go visit him? I'm sure he's not happy being stuck at the base with humans and Optimus as his only company."

"Definitely," Lori said. "But let me calm down a little. That was just so freaky. I'm shaking like a leaf."

"It's all right," Ironhide assured, pulling Lori into a hug. "We're all a bit shook up. Just go and get yourself ready, because I wouldn't go on base without at least brushing your teeth."

"Right, right," Lori said with frazzled giggle. "I should probably tamp my hair down too. I can't go around looking like I escaped from the mental ward, right?"

"Well, we did just see a ghost and communicate with it, so I wouldn't judge," Jazz commented.

"Most of the soldiers will think we're crazy, but hey, what can you do?" Lori asked with a shrug. She took a step towards her bathroom, but the full force of her shock took effect and she fainted. Luckily, Ratchet was close enough to nonchalantly catch Lori before she fell to the floor.

"I would have been impressed had she not fainted," Ratchet mused flatly. "Help me get her on the couch, 'Hide, and Jazz, get a glass of water." Jazz ducked into the kitchen to the water.

"Got it," Ironhide replied, picking Lori up. His gaze was soft as he seemed to study Lori's paled face while he gently set her down on the couch. His gaze softened even more as his hands ran across the plethora of scars crisscrossing his daughter's back and shoulders. Moments later, Lori started coming to.

"Oh, my head," she groaned as Ratchet took her pulse.

"You're going to be just fine, Lori," Ratchet said gently. "You just need to get some fluids in you." Jazz returned from the kitchen with a tall glass of water.

"Yeah, I guess…" Lori trailed off in another soft groan as she rubbed her head. Ratchet supported Lori's shaking body and helped her drink. Ironhide huffed in annoyance, but Ratchet ignored him. By the time Lori had emptied the glass, she'd stopped shaking.

"Much better," Ratchet said. "Go make yourself at least semi-presentable."

"Funny, Ratchet, very funny," Lori said as she got up, knees wobbling a bit. "Am I going to have to lock my bathroom door from now on?"

"I'd say no since we won't need to use your bathroom, but Jazz likes to randomly check on people," Ironhide said, throwing Jazz a look, to which Jazz responded with an innocent look.

"Fine, fine," Lori said as she shuffled into her bathroom. She closed the door and locked it. A few minutes later she called out, "Hey, dad? Can you grab me an outfit from my closet real quick?"

"Sure thing, kid," Ironhide answered. He ducked into her room and selected a red tank top, cut-off jean shorts that would reach her knees, a pair of black socks from a drawer, and her studded combat boots. He stepped across the hall and gently rapped on the bathroom door. There was a soft click and the bathroom door cracked open just enough for Lori's hand to dart out and take hold of the clothes Ironhide had chosen for her.

"Thank you, daddy," she said, closing the door again. Lori emerged minutes later fully dressed with her hair in a loose, low braid.

"Ready to go?" Ironhide asked.

Lori opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by the doorbell chiming. "For the love of… who could that be?" She just about flung the door open, gasping in surprise an instant later.

"Who's there?" Ratchet, Jazz and Ironhide demanded at the same time.

"You have guests, _cherie_?" A thick French accent drifted in from the door.

"They're not guests," Lori said as she stepped back. "Trent, Marc, Josie, meet my dad, Uncle Ryan, and Cousin Jay." She gestured to her father, Ratchet, and Jazz respectively. The four newcomers gaped at Lori's family in surprise. The second tallest of the four had long red hair that was spiked on the top of his head and tied back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. Next to him was a pale, freckled fellow with short, feathered, light blonde hair. Beside the blonde man was a lovely looking girl with long, feathered, light brown hair. Behind the brown-haired girl was a shy-looking fellow with short, spiky, dark auburn hair, and he was the tallest of the group.

" _Who's the cousin?_ " Jazz whispered to Ratchet in Cybertronian, only to get elbowed by Ironhide.

" _She should just say the truth,_ " Ratchet muttered back in Cybertronian. " _We're just friends of her father. Why do we have to be family?_ " This warranted Ironhide elbowing the medic too.

"It's nice to meet you," Ironhide said.

" _C'est un plaisir pour nous aussi,_ " the blonde-haired person said.

"Marc, my family doesn't speak French, love," Lori chastised with a giggle.

" _Pardon moi,_ we're happy to meet you too," Marc said. "I'm Marc LeBaron, one of Lori's former backup vocalists and guitarists."

"I'm Trent Jackson," greeted the redhead. "I'm the other backup."

"You must be Josie," Ratchet said, kindly looking at the brown-haired girl.

"You would be right," Josie replied. "And I'm proudly just married, so instead of Josie Lybrook like my dear auntie, I'm now Josie Sanderson." She smiled at the 'Bots knowingly, but kept quiet. Trent, Marc and Josie pulled Lori into a group hug.

"Aww, you missed me," Lori said teasingly.

"Of course we did, LoLo," Trent answered.

"So who's this?" Lori asked, pointing her chin at the yet-to-be-introduced person.

"Meet my husband, Gabe," Josie said.

"Hi there," Gabe said softly.

"Oh, take off that shy veneer," Lori said playfully as she extended an arm. "Family of Josie's is family of mine." Gabe hesitantly complied, but in the combined embrace of Lori and his wife, he seemed to relax.

"You have no idea how much we missed you," Marc said, his grip tightening on Lori.

"Your hug gives me a good idea," Lori joked.

"Lori's told us all about you guys," Ironhide said kindly. "It's great to finally meet you." Lori could see that he was merely acting casual, and knew that he wanted to go out and hunt for Starscream.

"It's great to meet you too," Josie replied. "We're glad Lo found you, because we were worried about her being lonely."

"But we needn't worry anymore," Trent said. "We have a surprise for you, Lori." He dug a hand into his back pocket and pulled out a neatly folded slip of paper, then passed it to Lori. Lori took the paper and carefully unfolded it, her eyes growing wide as she skimmed what was written upon the paper.

"Trent, this isn't real…" she trailed off as she continued to read.

" _Mais non; c'est vrai, nos cherie,_ " Marc replied. He then picked up Lori by her legs and spun around with her, laughing in glee.

"Marc!" Lori yelped in surprise. "Put me down, you crazy bastard!" She tried to look stern, but she gave up and laughed with Marc.

"Put her down, dude," Trent said. "The poor dear looks like she needs a pick-me-up. Josie, would you be a darling a fetch a cold one from the ice chest?"

"With pleasure," Josie said happily, and she ducked outside.

"A cold one?" Ironhide asked archly.

"A cold can of Rockstar Energy," Trent explained. "We would never offer Lori alcohol, because she won't drink it." As if on cue, Josie returned and handed a tall, frost-covered can of Rockstar to Lori, who cracked open the can and took a long drink.

"Ahhh, my favorite," Lori purred.

"That makes sense," Jazz said. "So what's on the paper that's got my Lori so excited?"

"My old life being given back," Lori answered, passing Jazz the paper. The paper was really the outline of a touring and recording contract, with an effective date set in the next year; included was the estimated salary of each on-stage member, which was more than enough to support them all lavishly, the number of albums they would be expected to release, and a tour duration requirement of six months.

"Oh, damn!" Jazz exclaimed, and passed the contract outline to Ironhide. His holoform's eyes skimmed the outline, and then he looked up to give Lori a proud grin.

"I can't wait to 'rough it' again," Lori joked. "It was so much fun to survive on nothing but Rockstar and truck stop food for months on end."

"That doesn't sound like a healthy diet at all," Ratchet complained. "I don't want you fueling your bodies with only truck stop food and energy drinks."

"We did that for four months straight once, Uncle Ryan," Lori said. "There's not a lot of time to stop and get real food, especially when there's only a day of driving between gigs and you're your own band, roadie crew, and techie crew."

"All that heavy lifting and stressing out over our gear probably kept us in shape," Trent added.

"Believe you me," Ratchet huffed, "I'll find a way to make sure you're getting the proper nutrition you need."

"Give it a rest, doc," Ironhide said with a sigh.

"What are you gonna do, follow us?" Lori teased.

"Your uncle worries too much," Marc commented.

"She has all of us to worry about her too," Jazz teased.

"You'll get used to him," Ironhide said. "I just flat-out ignore him."

"I'll keep my plan to myself so you can't stop me," Ratchet muttered.

"You're talking to road-hardened, crafty, and sneaky young adults," Josie mused happily.

"Trust me when I say we're much craftier," Jazz said.

"Well let's not get into a competition," Ironhide cut in. "Lori, do you want to stay here and catch up with your band or do you want to go see your boyfriend?"

"I'd love to go see my Cade," Lori answered. "I wanna catch up, but you guys kinda dropped in just as we were heading out."

"Well, don't let us stop you from seeing the one you love," Marc teased.

"Shut it, Frenchie," Josie said, her gaze drifting to Ironhide. "Whoa there, daddio, you look apt to kill somebody. My aunt has Tannerite-filled mannequins with your name on them if you need to blow off some steam."

"I'll politely decline the offer for now," Ironhide replied, "but you tell Darlene to hold some for me. I might just need 'em."

"I'll tell her that," Josie said. "I'm sorry I missed out on what caused that mess outside, but I was with these clowns getting our happy little band back together."

"Well, we'll let you go, Lo," Trent said. "We'll go wash the trailer while you check on your boo." They said their good-byes and filed out the door.

"So now are you ready?" Ironhide asked playfully.

"I'm ready when you are, daddy," Lori answered.

"Your band seems really cool," Jazz commented. "I can't wait to get to know them better and hear you guys perform!"

"I've really missed them," Lori said as she walked outside.

"I'm sure you need to practice now, eh?" Ironhide asked.

"Oh, you bet," Lori answered as she jumped into Ironhide's cab.

When they arrived on base, Lori got out of Ironhide's cab groaning and stumbling.

"What's wrong?" Ratchet asked in concern.

"I heard a Christmas song!" Lori cried. "It's still summer!"

"You are over dramatic," Ratchet chastised. "But dramatics aside, follow me and I'll take you to Barricade." This perked Lori up right away and she followed Ratchet to medbay.

"So how is he?" Lori asked as they walked.

"He's recovering," Ratchet answered. "But I should warn you about something. He took some bad hits yesterday, and well, there was only so much I could do. You need to prepare yourself for how drastically different he looks now." When they arrived in medbay, Ratchet pulled back a privacy curtain to reveal a radically different Barricade… he was no longer in his original body. He looked just like his holoform, but much thinner and paler. His eyes were still a red-hazel, and he still had his short, spiky black hair. He happened to be sitting up just then, shirtless and wearing only a pair of white underwear. He was also grumbling sourly.

"Cade…" Lori managed to whisper, loud enough to get Barricade's attention. Naturally, he pulled the thin blanket bunched up at his thighs up to cover himself up, but he could tell Lori had already seen his underwear. In seconds, Lori had closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him in a tight but warm embrace. Barricade looked at Ratchet curiously.

"She wanted to see you," Ratchet said innocently.

"Why are you shaking?" Lori asked suddenly.

"I thought I was going to die for a while," Barricade admitted. "The transition from my original body to this was terrifying… I slipped in and out of consciousness… I remember screaming in pain and shouting profanities… but as weird an adjustment as this body is going to be, I'm just happy I can still be with you. Enough about me; are you okay?" He caressed Lori's worry-stricken face.

"I'm fine," Lori said, leaning into Barricade's caress. "I was worried sick about you."

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Ratchet softly cut in. "I'd rather not third-wheel and I do have to tell Optimus about what happened." With that, he left medbay.

"What's he talking about?" Barricade asked.

"I'll tell you when I'm not worried about you anymore," Lori said, eyes glistening.

"No, no, please don't cry," Barricade pleaded. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." He ran his fingers through Lori's hair in an attempt to soothe her troubled mind.

"Don't you ever act so stupid again," Lori growled with such sudden venom in her voice that it could give the unaware a heart attack. "If you do, I'll… I'll kill you myself." Her eyes seemed to hold a slight glow to them, the same slight glow they seemed to always take on when she displeased.

"Lori, you know I can't promise that," Barricade said hesitantly. "Especially not now; your father wants an excuse to tear me to shreds. I have to prove to him that you mean as much to me as I've shown you. Moreover, I never want you to feel endangered by the Decepticons. I love you too much."

"Oh, Barricade, you loveable fool," Lori purred as she pulled him into a gentle kiss.

While Lori and Barricade spent time together, Ratchet joined up with Ironhide and Jazz to report on their encounter of Alexa's ghost at Lori's house. Optimus clearly did not believe them as he listened to what had taken place.

"Are you sure you saw a ghost and not some nature of hologram?" Optimus asked skeptically.

"Prime, Alexa's been dead for several years," Ironhide said, his voice suddenly thick with grief. "She would never fake her death just to prove how pissed off she was at me. She loved Lori a lot more than I can ever hope to; she raised my daughter from an infant to the dynamic girl we all have come to know, so I owe that woman the benefit of the doubt."

"Were you perhaps hallucinating?" Optimus asked, still looking skeptical.

"I doubt it was a hallucination," Ratchet replied. "I saw the same thing Ironhide did. In fact, I was the first one to actually see her because I was just as skeptical as you."

"I saw her too," Jazz added.

"It's impossible for three people to see the exact same hallucination, as crazy as a ghost encounter sounds," Ratchet said.

"The freakiest part was what she had to say," Jazz said.

"Her death was Decepticon-caused," Ironhide growled.

"I thought she'd died of a human disease?" Optimus said.

"She was poisoned," Ratchet said simply. "She was given a Decepticon-engineered venom that behaved like the disease all were convinced she'd contracted."

"Starscream was the one that gave it to her," Ironhide said in a low growl.

"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus said gently. "We can deal with the Decepticons later. For now, I'd like to have a word with Lori."

"About what?" Ironhide asked in concern.

"About what you just told me," Optimus said. Ironhide nodded. The group made their way to medbay.

Lori had finished telling Barricade what had happened at her house when the others walked in.

"Are you serious?" Barricade asked in disbelief.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Lori retorted.

"That son of a glitch Starscream is going to pay for what he did to your mother," Barricade growled. "Blackout is going to pay for threatening you."

"I highly recommend you refrain from any revenge for the time being," Ratchet cut in. "You still need to get used to your new body."

"Please let me help," Barricade pleaded.

"You're protesting?" Lori demanded. "Seriously? You almost died, and you want to get right back up and fight again? I don't want to have to babysit your ass, but I will if I have to."

"Oh, come on, Lo," Barricade said.

"Don't give me that crap," Lori snapped. "I'm not gonna let you get yourself killed because you want revenge. Besides, you're wearing nothing but undies. They wouldn't take you seriously dressed like that. I can't lend you my stuff, though."

"That's what we're here for," Lennox said as he and Epps walked in, each carrying a box of secondhand clothes. They set the boxes down beside Barricade's bed. Barricade looked into the boxes, his expression pure confusion.

"Oh, jeez, I'm not teaching you how to dress yourself, love," Lori said with a restrained giggle.

"This is priceless!" Jazz said, not holding back his laughter. "But don't worry, Cade, I've got you." He activated his holoform and started to rummage through a box of shirts, pulling random ones out to show Barricade.

"That one looks cool," Barricade said when Jazz held up a black short-sleeve T-shirt bearing the logo for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

"Good choice," Jazz said, handing the shirt to Barricade. As Barricade tried to put the shirt on, Lori lost her control on her laughter and dropped to her knees, laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face.

"I will never understand human emotion," Optimus muttered. "It's confusing when they sometimes cry while they're laughing. I thought that meant they were happy."

"Humans are definitely a strange species," Ratchet said in agreement. When Barricade finally gave up trying to put the shirt on without help, Lori had completely fallen over, clutching her stomach and hiccupping.

"Barricade, please ask for help!" Lori said in between fits of giggles. Jazz chuckled as he assisted Barricade in putting the shirt on properly.

"Lori, are you all right?" Optimus asked in concern. This made Lori laugh harder.

"I'm fine!" Lori hiccupped. "This is just so hilarious!"

"Now we gotta get pants on you," Jazz said. "I've found your size, so let me just demonstrate and then you're gonna try it." He went through his demonstration and then passed the pair of jeans to Barricade. Barricade got himself up and managed to get the jeans on without a problem.

"How do I look, Lori?" He asked.

"You look great," Lori said as she calmed herself down.

"Well, now that we've got that out of the way, what are we gonna do?"

"I want to go hunting," Barricade said.

"You're mostly leaning on the bed," Lori snapped. "Did you even listen to what Ratchet just said?"

"I'm feeling really useless right about now, okay?" Barricade said, crossing his arms. "Plus at this rate, I'm pretty sure I've been fired from my other job because I never did check in with the boss there."

"You wanna feel less useless?" Lori asked. "Then help me up."

"Gladly," Barricade said. He went to help Lori up, but when he tried to lift her up, he realized too late that he was too weak to pull her up and he toppled over on top of her.

"That's just great…" Lori muttered. "Dad, can you help us up?"

"Of course," Ironhide said happily. "I don't like seeing you two tangled up like that."

"He's your father," Barricade said as Lori blushed. "He's gonna become an expert at embarrassing you."

"Exactly, now get up," Ironhide said as he roughly pulled Barricade up, but then gently pulled Lori up.

"Be careful with him!" Ratchet snapped. Barricade, still a little weak in the knees, leaned against Lori for support.

"Is Cade strong enough to be at my house?" Lori asked Ratchet. "If he has indeed gotten himself fired, then I have to train him to be the band's dedicated techie and roadie. We need both, especially for all the lighting we put up on the stage. I can image programming the lighting should be pretty easy for him."

"He's well enough for those activities," Ratchet said. "But one of us should be with you in case anything happens."

"Awesome," Lori said. "If you're ready to go, Cade, let's go. You're gonna love programming light chases."

"Oh, I'm definitely ready to go," Barricade said. "I don't think I could stand another day in that bed."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ironhide asked.

"Sure," Lori said.

"But then he's gonna watch me like a hawk," Barricade complained.

"Oh, big whoop," Lori replied. "Light chased aren't remotely risqué."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd want me around," Ironhide said, visibly surprised.

"I couldn't deny you anyway," Lori said. "You live at the house now, and it's more pleasant with you home."

"Alright, let's go then," Ironhide said with a warm smile. "Is that your real body now, Barricade?"

"Yeah, but I don't mind," Barricade answered. "I'll always be shorter than Lori now, though."

"Which means you'll always be shorter than me!" Ironhide teased as he pulled Barricade towards him to give him a noogie.

"Yea, yeah, you don't need to rub it in," Barricade muttered as he futilely tried to get out of Ironhide's grip.

"You're dating my kid, so it's my job to give you hard time," Ironhide joked.

"Alright, alright, let him go and get out of my medbay," Ratchet said.

"I'm not a kid!" Lori complained.

"Technically in Cybertronian terms, you are," Barricade said, earning an annoyed glare from Lori.

"Let's get to the house," she said, crossing her arms.

"I'll drive," Ironhide declared. Cade did is best to pout.

"Oh, suck it up, buttercup," Lori chastised. "He's how I got here in the first place." Jazz put his hand over his mouth to muffle his giggling.

"Oh great, now I'm never gonna hear the end of that," Barricade muttered.

"Quit pouting, I still love you," Lori said, and gave Barricade a small kiss on his cheek.

"We all love you, buttercup!" Jazz teased as he placed a kiss on Barricade's other cheek. Barricade blushed madly as Ratchet and Ironhide laughed.

"Jazz, leave Barricade alone," Optimus said over the laughter.

"Can we get home so I can start teaching Cade light programming?" Lori asked, tapping her foot. Ironhide nodded, still chuckling as he transformed into his vehicle mode.

"This is gonna be so awkward now," Barricade said.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. Are you gonna need help up?"

"Probably," Barricade admitted reluctantly.

"You just had to be weak," Ironhide muttered as Ratchet helped Lori get Barricade into Ironhide's cab.

"He's too skinny as well," Lori said.

"We'll get him fattened up at the house," Ironhide said. "Let's just get out of here before Optimus gives me something to do."

"Agreed," Lori replied. With that, Ironhide pulled out of medbay and drove off base towards Lori's house.

 _Elsewhere…_

Blackout awoke slowly from the small nap he'd sneakily taken, wondering if anything had happened while he's been secretly recharging. Right away he could hear frantic and frustrated voices in the hallway. As he got up to investigate, he was nearly tackled by Brawl.

" _Whoa, whoa, what's going on?_ " Blackout asked.

" _Lord Megatron is getting really unhappy that he doesn't have that hybrid thing in his clutches,_ " Brawl answered. " _He's making all of us increase our efforts to find her._ "

" _Is that so?_ " Blackout said. " _Maybe my little scouting mission wasn't so useless after all…_ "

" _If you have info about her, you'd better go find Commander Starscream,_ " Brawl replied.

" _I will,_ " Blackout said, and turned to enter the main part of their base.

" _Ah, hello, Blackout,_ " Starscream said. " _I hope you have information pertaining to the hybrid brat._ "

" _I do, if you're willing to go with me after we tell Lord Megatron,_ " Blackout replied.

" _If you want,_ " Starscream said. The two mechs made their way towards Megatron's private quarters. Before they could press the door comm, the door slid open to reveal Megatron sitting in his recliner, looking highly frustrated.

" _You'd better have intel that will have the hybrid brat in my grasp,_ " he snapped.

" _Blackout does, Lord Megatron,_ " Starscream said.

" _Do tell, Blackout,_ " Megatron hissed.

" _Before my patrol got cut short, I'm certain that I've discovered the address of the hybrid's house,_ " Blackout said.

" _Excellent!_ " Megatron growled. " _I want you and Starscream to go there and kidnap her._ "

" _With pleasure,_ " Starscream sneered.

" _Retrieve her!_ " Megatron snapped. Not wanting to face the wrath of their frustrated leader, Blackout and Starscream quickly left the base and took off.

" _So where are we going?_ " Starscream asked.

" _Fifteen-eighty Forest Loop; it's a subdivision backing up to National Forest land,_ " Blackout said.

" _The brat lives in seclusion, does she?_ " Starscream asked, amused.

" _There's eleven other houses surrounding her, but the closest one is five Earth miles away from her,_ " Blackout explained.

" _That's perfect,_ " Starscream said. " _Nobody will be able to hear her scream!_ "

" _Nobody except whatever Autobot will be guarding her,_ " Blackout replied. " _There's no doubt that they know about her now and are keeping her protected._ "

" _Then we'll distract them while plucking the brat up from under them!_ " Starscream growled.

" _Scorponok can provide a distraction,_ " Blackout offered.

" _Excellent,_ " Starscream hissed.

As they passed over Lori's house, they found it to be very… quiet.

" _She must not be home,_ " Blackout muttered.

" _Then we'll wait for her to return,_ " Starscream said. " _This gives us more time to plan exactly how to take her efficiently._ " They found a nearby meadow and landed there before slinking through the trees and settling just behind the tree line bordering the back yard of the house. They discussed their dastardly plan silently through their comm links as they awaited Lori's eventual return.


	9. Chapter 7: Kidnapped!

**A/N: Buckle down, everyone! The action's about to get really hot!**

As Ironhide pulled into Lori's driveway, he aggressively cut off the radio. Barricade and Lori had been listening to an 80s music station, and while they hadn't reached their tolerance limit to the mostly cheesy music, Ironhide definitely had.

"You are such a party pooper, dad," Lori teased in protest.

"I can only take so much Men Without Hats," Ironhide replied.

"They only played ' _Safety Dance_ ' twice," Barricade said playfully.

"That song never gets old!" Lori added.

"Once is too much for me," Ironhide said. "Now get out, will ya?"

"Fine, fine," Lori and Barricade said in unison and they jumped out of Ironhide's cab.

"You're not that weak if you didn't need my help," Ironhide told Barricade as he transformed.

"I guess not," Barricade replied.

"Well, now let's get you something to eat," Lori said as she unlocked the door. "I'm certain you're hungry, but luckily there's tons of leftovers from the cookout I had with the soldiers."

"Do you think food will taste different to me now?" Barricade asked.

"Maybe," Lori answered with a shrug.

"Just don't be making too much noise unless it's music because I'm going to be working," Ironhide said. He activated his holoform and grabbed the damaged shotgun he planned to repair.

"Fair enough," Lori said. "We can use the headsets to hear the music. In fact, this is a perfect opportunity to start teaching you techie lingo, Cade."

"What do you mean by that?" Barricade asked.

"It's a sort of shorthand language techies use to talk about their gear," Lori explained. "It'll be so helpful with you at the helm of the light and sound equipment, because then you can judge if we're overloading our speakers or if the lights are out of synch. It wasn't very easy when we were controlling the chase board remotely while we were performing."

"That sounds so complex," Barricade said.

"It's not bad when you get the hang of it," Lori assured. She then helped get Barricade get a plate food. While he ate, Lori got out various sound and lighting equipment and a frame to hang it all on; while she set up a makeshift stage layout, she explained how to put it together and what each piece was used for. Barricade listened intently as he ate, and occasionally asked questions. Lori happily answered while she hooked up the lights and speakers to a DMX control board. Lori then settled on the couch with the control board set across her lap and Barricade's. Barricade continued to intently listen and asked questions as Lori taught him how to program the lights to flash at certain moments during varying Rock songs, and he even took notes so he wouldn't forget what he was learning.

 _Meanwhile…_

The two hidden Decepticons watched in disgust as Lori, Barricade, and Ironhide settled into the house.

" _Damn, the brat has Ironhide with her,_ " Starscream hissed through their comm links. " _This kidnapping has gotten much harder to carry out._ "

" _Perhaps, but it's not impossible,_ " Blackout said. " _It appears she has some nature of mechanical pet in that barn structure. I can send Scorponok in there to harm it in order to lure her out._ "

" _Then do it!_ " Starscream snapped. " _The sooner we have the brat, the better!_ "

" _Understood,_ " Blackout said. He ordered Scorponok to burrow into the barn and attack the Raptor inside in order to draw Lori out. Silently, Scorponok slid out of his carrier and tunneled into the ground towards the barn.

Lori and Barricade were in the middle of reviewing a rather complex light chase when Lori heard Shadow yelp from the barn through her headset. Her instincts told her something was definitely wrong.

"Keep reviewing that light chase while I go check on Shadow," she said as she got up and took off the headset. She didn't realize her father had deactivated his holoform until his large hand was gently pushing her back into the house through the back door.

"I'll check on Shadow," Ironhide assured. "I want you to stay inside." Lori gave him an annoyed glare, but didn't protest and stayed put. Ironhide slowly approached the barn, his cannons ready to fire. He could hear Shadow thrashing around inside, hissing in pain. Seconds later, the Raptor burst out of the barn, trying to get his jaws around Scorponok to throw the mini-'Con off.

"Oh no…" Lori muttered. Barricade looked up from the lighting, and his expression twisted in fear.

"I should have known they'd come back," Barricade mumbled to himself. Lori and Barricade watched in fear as Ironhide fired at Scorponok to get him off Shadow as he retreated back towards the house.

"There's others in the trees!" Shadow yelled. "They must be after Lori!" The Raptor charged toward the trees with his back spikes extending fully, and a pair of blaster cannons spinning out of his haunches, only to get fired on by Starscream. He froze, his blasters still warming up.

"I dare you to make another move, pest," Starscream growled.

"We need to get into the garage now," Lori said softly. "We can hide in there."

"But what about-"

"We can put it away later," Lori snapped as she hauled Barricade off the couch and towards the garage.

"Fire, Shadow!" Ironhide was heard to yell outside. "Light that fragger up!" Shadow roared as he unleased the fury of his weapons directly upon the Seeker.

"Crap, my mom's car is blocking access to the tool closet in the back," Lori hissed. "We'll have to make a run for it to my dad." She and Barricade ran outside as quickly as they could, but froze on the porch at the sight of the battle going on.

"Lori, Cade, get back inside now!" Ironhide snapped when he saw Lori and Barricade on the porch. Shadow stopped firing on Starscream and made a beeline for the couple, rudely head-butting them back inside. The two slid across the kitchen floor.

"Lori, please tell me you have other weapons besides blades," Cade said frantically as he pushed the distress signal button on his new NEST-issued phone.

"There's a full gun safe in the living room storage closet," Lori said. They were about to make a run for it when Blackout's holoform appeared in front on them.

"You won't be getting any of your petty human weapons," he sneered. "Now Lori, come with me quietly, or else things are going to get very ugly."

"Quietly, you say?" Lori asked as she calmly but angrily got up, her eyes taking on an eerie blue glow. "Do I look like a quiet person? You'd better get out of my way, or I'm going to shove you out of my way."

"Try it, abomination," Blackout snapped, pulling Barricade up and holding a human-sized Cybertronian gun to his back between his shoulder blades faster than Lori could react.

"Ouch, you slagger!" Barricade cried. This only made Blackout push the gun harder against Barricade's back and put his finger on the trigger.

"Let him go!" Lori pleaded, the glow fading from her eyes.

"Are you going to come with me now?" Blackout taunted. "Or will your boyfriend pay the ultimate price for you?" He had a set of human-sized Cybertronian handcuffs slung to his holoform's belt, and they looked painful. Outside, Ironhide was fighting with Starscream, and didn't see Blackout's real body coming towards him until he'd be grabbed and restrained in a similar fashion to Barricade, but Blackout fired on Ironhide repeatedly.

"Daddy, no!" Lori cried as she saw her father collapse. Something inside her snapped, and the glow overwhelmingly returned to her eyes while mini blasters tore out of her forearms in a spray of blood and she aimed her blasters at Blackout's holoform with a cold, deadly glare.

"Lori…?" Barricade asked weakly.

" _Let Barricade go, and maybe I'll spare your fragging life,_ " Lori growled in flawless Cybertronian.

Blackout only let slight surprise show on his face. "Come get him, then." He dragged Barricade out the front door. She started to go after them, but knew it was a trap and ran out the back door instead, unaware of her weapons or the blood oozing down her arms.

"Daddy!" She screamed as she ran, looking terrified.

"Lori, no…" Ironhide began weakly, but stopped when he saw all the blood on her arms. "Lori?!" As soon as Lori was out of the cover of her porch, Blackout grabbed her with his real hands. His holoform was nearby with Barricade and the gun aimed at Barricade's back still in his grip.

" _Let me go you fragging pile of slag!_ " Lori shrieked in Cybertronian as she thrashed in Blackout's grasp. Shadow had his blaster cannons aimed at Blackout, but was hesitant to fire in fear of hurting Lori.

"I'll admit you're strong for your size, but not strong enough," Blackout growled as he gave Lori a squeeze to assert his dominance. He then turned to Shadow. "Don't move another inch unless you want her looking like a scene from 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre.'" Shadow snarled, but then whined as he backed towards Ironhide. Lori cried out in pain as Blackout's hands tightened around her.

"Please hurry, Prime…" Barricade whispered to himself. Blackout's holoform suddenly dropped him and vanished as Blackout walked towards Starscream, keeping an optic on Shadow and Ironhide. The Autobot was having major difficulty getting up, but hearing Lori's cries was motivation enough.

"Let… her… go!" He growled slowly, but his weakness brought him back to his knees as energon dripped freely from his back. "Lori!"

"Daddy!" Lori wailed, tears streaming from her eyes as she began to cry.

"Why are you doing this!?" Barricade demanded as he spat out dirt. "She never did anything to you!" He watched helplessly as Ironhide struggled to get up again. It took the weapons specialist a moment, but he managed to get up. As he slowly trudged towards the 'Con holding his daughter hostage, Starscream grinned and fired at his legs, making it even harder for him to walk.

"We should go," Blackout said. "We have the hybrid, and one of them has probably called for reinforcements."

"Agreed," Starscream sneered. "It would be foolish to keep Lord Megatron waiting. She's rather feisty, how disgusting." He transformed into his F-22 vehicle mode.

"You know, since I did all the work, the least you could do is carry this abomination," Blackout said as he backed into the trees.

"Shut her up first," Starscream snarled. "Knock her out if need be. I don't want that thing squirming in my cockpit." He popped open his canopy to receive Lori.

"No!" Lori screamed. "Let me go, you monster!"

"If you think of me as a monster, then I am a monster," Blackout growled, a slender wire-looking thing slithering out of his wrist. Before Lori could shy away, the wire jabbed into her neck and injected an unknown substance that instantly knocked her out. She went limp in Blackout's hands.

"Lori, no!" Ironhide cried as he fell to his knees again. Blackout flung Lori's lifeless body into Starscream's cockpit and was about to transform himself when Optimus and the other Autobots arrived.

"Get out of here!" Blackout yelled to Starscream. Starscream heard and took off, deafening all with the roar of his afterburners.

"'Nok, let's go!" Blackout called as Optimus charged at him. Blackout managed to transform, but Optimus grabbed his tail rotor as he tried to fly away. Ratchet went right to Ironhide's side and got to work closing up Ironhide's injury. Bumblebee also ran to Ironhide, ready to protect him as Ratchet worked. Jazz got to Shadow's side to check on him, but the Raptor only had minimal injuries.

"LORI, I'M SO SORRY!" Barricade screamed as he doubled over and began to sob. He'd been foolish by not remembering the tactics of his former comrades. Ratchet activated his holoform to try and console him.

"It's not your fault," he assured. "We should have been more careful since the Decepticons already knew her location. It's going to be okay. We're going to get her back."

"I h-h-have to m-make this r-r-right," Barricade stuttered around his sobs. "I don't kn-know if they've m-m-moved, but I m-might still kn-know the exact location of their b-base."

"Any information you have will help us a great deal," Optimus said as he pulled Blackout to the ground harshly.

"Those wounds look like they were caused by Scorponok," Jazz told Shadow. "Where is he?"

"With him," Shadow snarled, his blaster cannons twitching in anticipation of firing.

"Did you actually see Scorponok return to Blackout?" Jazz asked. Shadow shook his head and immediately began sniffing the ground in search of the mini-'Con. Blackout rapidly transformed to get away, but Optimus had him pinned. The Prime's sword was out and ready to strike.

"Don't let that fragger escape," Ironhide said weakly.

"Where's Lori!?" Optimus demanded.

"I'm not talking," Blackout spat. He tried to throw Optimus off, but Shadow was on him and instant later, his fangs bared in anger.

"The base better be in the same place," Barricade warned. "Shadow won't be very forgiving without his Master to stop him."

"You lost the right to speak to me!" Blackout snapped. "Lord Megatron could handle that youngling dinobot any time."

"Shut it!" Optimus growled, driving his sword into Blackout's shoulder. Shadow roared in fury and wrapped his jaws around Blackout's neck, his razor-sharp teeth hovering mere inches away.

"You'd better talk," Barricade spat. "Shadow looks pretty willing to close his mouth, and his fangs look quite sharp."

"You'll need me if you want to see your precious little Lori again," Blackout sneered.

"You don't have the right to speak her name," Ironhide growled.

"If you haven't moved, we won't need anything from you," Barricade snapped. Shadow snarled and closed his jaws slightly, letting his teeth graze, Blackout's neck. Shadow's tail was lashing wildly, and he had his blaster cannons aimed to kill.

"What if we have?" Blackout asked. "What will you do then?"

"We'll figure something out," Barricade said.

"I'd like to see you try," Blackout taunted.

"We will!" Barricade yelled. "Without your help!"

"Any last words?" Optimus asked with a growl.

"I would just let Shadow have him," Barricade said when Blackout remained silent. "He's obviously not going to talk." Shadow made ready to fire the killing shot when Scorponok suddenly leapt up from underground and slashed his side. Shadow roared in pain as he lost his footing and fell away from Blackout. In the confusion of Shadow collapsing, Blackout took the opportunity to grab Scorponok and escape. Shadow lay on the ground, whimpering in pain as Blackout flew off.

"We need more medics if the injuries keep coming," Ratchet muttered and he knelt at Shadow's side to field patch the deep wounds Scorponok had inflicted.

"Hurry up, Ratch!" Jazz said frantically. "Those 'Cons are hurting our Lori!"

"Barricade, you may be her only hope," Optimus said. "Where would Starscream have taken her?"

"If they haven't moved, then they're in an abandoned underground laser testing facility outside of Chicago," Barricade answered.

"I'll let the NEST team know, and then I'd like you to lead the way," Optimus said gently.

"Then let's go," Barricade replied.

 _Decepticon Base…_

Lori came to slowly, her head practically pounding. When she tried to move, she found that she was on her knees and tightly chained to the floor of the darkened room, her arms crossed behind her back at painful angles. She began to sing sadly,

" _I wanna go home…_

 _Take off this uniform and leave the show…_

 _I'm waiting in this cell because I have to know…_

 _Have I been guilty all this time…?_ "

Outside of Lori's cell, the Decepticons watched through the camera screens. He eyes were still glowing and she still had her blasters out, but she seemed completely unaware of them. Those who hadn't seen her before were very curious about her, but also wanted her dead.

"What does Lord Megatron plan to do with the hybrid?" Bonecrusher asked, looking at her bloodied arms on the screen. "She looks like a mess. Could we at least clean her up?" But nobody dared answer as she continued to make the eerie sounds, which included her changing her voice.

"Make her stop making those noises," Brawl eventually complained. "It's creepy."

"Neither Lord Megatron or Starscream have given us any orders," Bonecrusher said, "but we don't have any order preventing us from messing with her." Brawl and Bonecrusher opened the door to Lori's cell and stepped inside.

"… _Is there anyone home?_ " Lori sang softly. She looked up to see she had visitors. She muttered to herself, "Well shit, I didn't mean literally…"

"What are you doing?" Bonecrusher asked. Brawl crossed his arms to make himself more intimidating.

"I was singing," Lori answered weakly. "It's a common human activity. Can I make a request?"

"That depends on what you want," Bonecrusher said as Brawl took a knee to get a better look at Lori's shredded arms and weapons.

"I'd like to listen to an album called _Pink Floyd: The Wall_ ," Lori said. "I was singing songs out of it, but not in the correct album order… Hey, what are you looking at?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Brawl asked bluntly. "I'm looking at your bloodied arms and weapons."

"Your request doesn't sound difficult," Bonecrusher said, ignoring Brawl's blunt remark.

"What the fuck?" Lori demanded. "My arms aren't bleeding, and the only weapon I have is my rescue folding knife, as much good as it's gonna do here."

"Look again, hybrid," Brawl said cryptically.

"… I can't," Lori growled after trying to look behind herself. "These fuckin' chains are too tight, and they're digging into my wrists. Did you have to wrap them so fuckin' tightly!?"

"Yes, we did," Brawl answered sharply. "We don't know what you're capable of and we had to take precautions."

"Never mind her," Bonecrusher said. "Blackout just got back. It's weird; Starscream's been back for a while now."

"Well that's bloody fucking wonderful," Lori snapped. "And you know what slowed your friend down? My dad and his team!"

"Well your father's team obviously can't even stop one of us," Bonecrusher defended. He then spoke to Brawl in Cybertronian, " _Come on, he's hurt._ "

" _I hope he dies!_ " Lori growled in Cybertronian. Blackout walked in just then, energon flowing freely from his shoulder and bite marks on his neck. He glared at Lori, but didn't speak to her.

" _Have you seen Lord Megatron?_ " he asked his comrades.

" _Are those bite marks from Shadow?_ " Lori taunted. " _I would have told him to bite you harder!_ "

" _So this is the hybrid Autobot child?_ " asked a gruff voice.

" _This is the one,_ " Blackout confirmed. " _The Autobots are likely already on their way to rescue her, Lord Megatron._ "

" _How did they learn our location?_ " Megatron demanded.

" _Barricade has undoubtedly told them,_ " Blackout answered.

" _If that's the case, then move the hybrid to Soundwave's lab,_ " Megatron ordered. " _Bonecrusher, Brawl, keep the Autobots held up at the entrance. Starscream, Scorponok, go with them. Soundwave, I want you to set all the traps around the base so that they won't get far in the event they get around the welcoming committee._ " The four Decepticons made their way to the entrance. As Blackout stepped into Lori's cell and knelt in order to un-hitch her restraints in anticipation of moving her, Lori cried out in fear and anger.

" _DON'T TOUCH ME!_ " she screamed.

" _Silence, brat!_ " Blackout snapped and he slapped her, making her face bleed. The wire from his wrist slithered out again and jabbed Lori's neck once more.

The last thing Lori saw before losing consciousness was Megatron's glare.

 _Elsewhere…_

The Autobot-NEST caravan barreled towards the facility Barricade had told them the Decepticons were occupying. Barricade and Shadow led the caravan, Shadow narrowly obeying the speed limit.

"Just so you know, the entrance will look dangerous, but it isn't," Barricade advised everyone; he was wearing one of the stage headsets, but NEST soldiers had modified it so that it doubled as a comm link.

" _The sooner we can get in there, the sooner we can recue my daughter before those damn 'Cons can hurt her!_ " Ironhide snapped.

" _Just be careful,_ " Optimus warned.

" _Yo, Cade, is there anything special we gotta look out for?_ " Jazz asked.

"Brawl and Bonecrusher will be guarding the entrance, and there's gonna be traps along all the corridors." Barricade answered.

" _I can disarm traps no problem with Bee's help,_ " Jazz assured. " _I'll just need you to guide me in the right direction once we get inside._ "

"I'll be happy to," Barricade said. "I also know some cheats around most of the traps that they're gonna set. There's something else I need to warn you about; Ratchet, Ironhide, Lori's got built-in weaponry. Blackout managed to trigger it into snapping out when he threatened my life. I'm not sure if she's aware of it, so you need to be prepared to see her covered in blood and panicking."

" _It's true,_ " Ironhide said. " _I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but she has blasters that look like mini versions of mine._ "

" _That's not good,_ " Ratchet warned. " _She doesn't know how to control her body._ "

"You can teach her how to though, right?" Barricade asked.

" _Of course we can teach her,_ " Ironhide assured. " _I just hope this doesn't mess with her human life since her band is getting back together._ "

"It shouldn't," Barricade said. "At least I hope it shouldn't. She can just cover up her scars."

" _I'm going to do everything in my power to make she has as normal a human life as she can have,_ " Ironhide declared.

" _We all will,_ " Optimus added.

As Lori awoke for the second time, she felt even more pain from the tightened chains pulling at her arms and digging into her ankles and wrists. She could feel blood seeping from the wounds on her arms, legs, and face, and realized she was also lightheaded. She looked up for a moment to see Soundwave looking at a variety of screens showing stats on her before she dropped her head again, dizzy from blood loss.

" _The Autobots are one Earth mile away from us,_ " Blackout warned over a comm link on a desk.

" _Ravage, assist the others at the entrance,_ " Soundwave said in a low, gravelly voice that sent chills down Lori's spine. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like a mechanical mountain lion run out of the room. She began to cry again, wanting be home again desperately.

Outside the Decepticon base, they were ready for a fight. They could see the Autobots and a caravan of human military vehicles closing in, but felt confident they could keep their prize in their clutches.

" _Couldn't we just kill her and get it over with?_ " Starscream complained.

" _We're not going to kill her right away,_ " Megatron replied.

" _And why not?_ " Starscream demanded.

" _It would be pointless testing a carcass,_ " Megatron answered flatly. " _We're moving locations as soon as we defeat the Autobots, and then we'll begin to experiment on her._ "

" _The sooner, the better,_ " Starscream said with a huff.

Jazz and Bumblebee floored it the second they saw the entrance to the Decepticon base. As soon as they pulled ahead of the others, Barricade cocked the modified shotgun NEST had given him. He was going to help rescue Lori, or die trying. Everyone skidded to a halt outside the entrance, suspicious of how quiet it was.

" _DADDY!_ " they heard Lori scream from deep inside the base, and then they heard her cry out in pain. Clearly the Decepticon left to guard her had done something to hurt her. It was more than enough for Ironhide to go charging in for his daughter, guns blazing.

"Wait, Ironhide!" Optimus warned.

"Decepticons, attack!" Megatron ordered, and suddenly every Decepticon hidden just inside the entrance was attacking, and Ironhide was stopped in his advances.

"You'll never get to her!" Starscream bellowed as he kept Ironhide outside.

"You're a liar!" Shadow roared as transformed. He charged the Seeker, blaster cannons firing wildly. Starscream fired at the Raptor, only to have a very pissed off Shadow jump on him, fangs and claws flashing.

"Bonecrusher, get this thing off me!" Starscream pleaded as Shadow slashed and bit him repeatedly.

"Help yourself," Bonecrusher said as he fended off Bumblebee. Scorponok spotted Shadow and immediately leapt on the Raptor, stinging him with his poisoned tail. Shadow roared in pain, but eventually managed to get his jaws around the mini-'Con and shook him violently before throwing him into a wall. He then bolted into the Decepticon base, firing blindly. Barricade ran after him, pleading for him to slow down. Optimus and Megatron fought while trying to get control of the situation, Ironhide and Brawl duked it out, and Ratchet provided cover for the NEST soldiers.

Inside, Barricade was narrowly diffusing the explosive traps Shadow was triggering as he ran after the Raptor. Looking back, he spotted Ravage chasing after them. He spun around to fire at Ravage as he continued to go after Shadow.

Back outside, Ratchet led the NEST soldiers to the now vacated entry. He stood guard, guns drawn.

"The shit's hit the fan, so stay tight!" Lennox yelled. "We need to find Lori, secure her, and get out of here as fast as we can!"

"Holy shit, look at this mess!" Darlene Lybrook snapped. "Well at least we've got a trail to follow."

"After them!" came Starscream's voice from outside. Seconds later, Frenzy was in pursuit of the soldiers. He managed to injure several of them before he was in Darlene's sights.

"I'll take care of him," she yelled as she turned. "Y'all get your asses to Cade and Shadow!"

"Oh no…" Frenzy muttered.

"Let's dance, you little shit!" She snapped as she aimed her double-barrel shotgun at him. The rest of the soldiers continued to follow the trail of damage left by Shadow's blind firing.

Just outside Soundwave's lab, Shadow had managed to temporarily dispatch Ravage, but as the venom in his system continued to do its deadly job, he took a knee in weakness, whining in pain.

"Shadow, what's wrong?" Barricade asked in concern. Just then, Scorponok popped up from the ground in front of them, venom dripping from his tail.

"He stung me," Shadow hissed. Barricade aimed his shotgun at Scorponok, but the mini-'Con dove into the ground before he could fire. Seconds later, Barricade was thrown to the ground and his shotgun was knocked out of his hand as Scorponok resurfaced beneath him. Scorponok could have easily snapped him in half, but the mini-'Con was hesitating and making sad clicking noises.

"Go ahead and finish me," Barricade snapped. "At least I'm going to die saving the one I love… the girl who woke me up to the horrors the Decepticons commit on a daily basis! Finish me off, damn you!" Barricade went limp as the NEST soldiers ran into the corridor. Scorponok head-butted Barricade in apology before facing the soldiers, hissing and standing over Barricade protectively.

"Leave them alone!" Barricade pleaded. "They're my friends now!" Scorponok glared at him in annoyance to learning that fact, and growled at Shadow. Shadow hissed weakly in return before firing at the door Lori was being held behind. Barricade encouraged Shadow to keep shooting as the door slowly gave way.

"Finally…" Lori's weak voice drifted from inside.

"Damn it, Cade, ya love-sick moron!" Darlene chided as she hauled a hog-tied Frenzy behind her. "Quit lyin' there like roadkill!"

"You might as well kill me, 'Nok," Barricade muttered to Scorponok. "I'm loyal to the Autobots now." Scorponok clicked playfully at Barricade before diving into the ground again. As the door to Lori's prison collapsed, Barricade saw Scorponok surface beside Lori.

" _DADDY…!_ " Lori shrieked in desperation. Soundwave jabbed her with an electrified prod to silence her, but ended up knocking her out completely yet again.

" _Do not let them get past you!_ " Megatron bellowed from the entrance. " _I want that hybrid!_ "

"I'm coming, Lori!" Ironhide yelled as he managed to get away from Brawl.

"Wait, Ironhide!" Ratchet called in vain as Ironhide tore down the corridor.

" _Leave the medic and go after Ironhide!_ " Starscream ordered. Brawl and Blackout gave each other a look before Blackout transformed and flew after Ironhide.

"Be careful around that scorpion!" Darlene advised. "The damn thing's got venom in his tail!" Everyone outside of Soundwave's lab watched in horror as Scorponok undid Lori's chains and let the unconscious girl slip onto his back.

"Don't let him get away!" Barricade begged. But before anyone made a move, Scorponok brought Lori to Barricade and slid her into his arms. He then bit Shadow and sucked out all of his venom before turning on Soundwave to distract the larger Decepticon so Barricade and the others could get away. Blackout let out a shocked exclamation, transformed, and hurriedly ran to Soundwave to collect his mini-'Con. Shadow, suddenly felling much better, ran to Lori and Barricade and nudged them onto his back.

"We've got Lori, so let's get out of here!" Lennox snapped. Darlene happily threw Frenzy at Blackout and Soundwave as she retreated with the rest of the NEST soldiers, telling them to have fun trying to untie the mini-'Con.

"Run as fast as you can, Shadow!" Barricade said. Shadow nodded and broke into a dead run, easily reaching speeds of 40 miles an hour. Barricade did his best to hold onto both Lori and Shadow as the Raptor bolted outside. He could feel the hem of Lori's bra under her shirt, but the only thought that crossed his mind was how relieving it was being able to feel the beat of her heart through two layers of clothes.

"We have Lori!" Barricade yelled to Optimus.

"Understood," Optimus replied. "Everyone, fall back!"

"That's impossible!" Megatron bellowed in anger. He was about to order the other Decepticons to intercept them when human Air Force fighter jets roared into the area, unleashing their ammo on them. With the Decepticons distracted by the flock of aircraft, Shadow skidded to a halt beside Ratchet.

"Please help her, she's hurt!" Shadow cried. Without a word, Ratchet transformed into his vehicle mode and activated his holoform. With Barricade's help, Ratchet got Lori secured on his stretcher; Lori was tucked under a woolen blanket and gently strapped down with restraints while her head was cradled in a neck support.

"Is she going to be all right?" Barricade asked as he smoothed her hair away from her bloodstained face.

"I'll know when I run a full diagnostic scan back on base," Ratchet said softly. As he pulled away from the Decepticon base, his holoform cleaned and bandaged the shallow cuts on Lori's face.

"Oh, Lori, I'm so sorry," Barricade whispered, a stray tear running down his cheek. Ratchet put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he reassured. "It was risky letting her go home with just Shadow and Ironhide to protect her, and we've learned from our mistake."

"I just hope Soundwave didn't hurt her too much," Barricade muttered. He placed a shaking hand on Lori's pale cheek.

"Are you all right?" Ratchet asked.

"I'm not hurt if that's what you're asking," Barricade answered.

"That's part of it," Ratchet said. "I'm asking mostly because you're visibly shaking."

"Well, you try holding on for dear life to a Raptor running 40 miles an hour," Barricade griped.

"That reminds me; how is Shadow doing so well?" Ratchet asked. "I saw him get stung by Scorponok and that venom is not to be taken lightly."

"Scorponok reversed what he'd done," Barricade said. "I don't know why, but I'm glad he did."

" _How's Lori, Ratchet?_ " Ironhide's voice cut in over the comm link.

"She's unconscious, but she's breathing and has a pulse," Ratchet replied.

" _On the topic of Lori,_ " Optimus cut in as well," _I want it known that she isn't to go anywhere without the protection of Shadow and another Autobot at any given time._ "

" _I think you better specify if you're including her house or just when she's outside of it,_ " Ironhide said. " _Females are pretty sensitive about their rooms. I know a femme who attempted to kill the mech that entered her room without permission._ "

" _Not another word, Ironhide,_ " Optimus warned slowly. Ratchet chuckled to himself.

" _If you insist, Prime,_ " Ironhide teased. " _Anyway, is my baby girl gonna be all right?_ "

"I'll make sure she will," Ratchet assured. "She's lost a lot of blood, but not enough to be fatal. The only tricky part is retracting her weapons so I can close her torn up arms."

" _Is she still bleeding?_ " Optimus asked.

"Thankfully no," Ratchet answered. "The blood she's already lost dried enough to stop any further bleeding. I'll have to put her on an IV of course, but it'll have to be on a slow feed until she's bandaged."

" _How badly did the 'Cons hurt her?_ " Ironhide asked.

"Aside from the abrasion caused by the chains they bound her with, there's nothing serious that I can see," Ratchet said. "There were a few shallow cuts on her face from being struck, but nothing visibly worse than that."

" _That's good, because I can only carry out so many death sentences at a time,_ " Ironhide said.

"The diagnostic scan my reveal otherwise, though," Ratchet warned.

" _I guess we'll get the full picture when we get to base,_ " Ironhide said.

"Exactly," Ratchet said.

To keep Ratchet and his precious cargo safe from attack while they evacuated from the Decepticon base, Ironhide and Optimus followed closely behind him in case the Decepticons evaded the Air Force and gave chase. Jazz and Bumblebee pulled beside Ratchet to ensure he had a clear path to speed through. With their rescue mission complete, both the Autobots and the NEST forces retreated to their shared base. The Air Force only returned when the Decepticons retreated deep within their base and didn't venture out again while the roar of afterburners filled the air.


	10. Chapter 8: New Features (Part 1)

**A/N: Have a tense little cool down with some OOC PapaHide fluff.**

Everyone that had remained on base was on edge as the rescue party returned. Ratchet had relayed to the infirmary that Lori had suffered severe blood loss, gave them her blood type, and how much blood he was going to need for her. The medics rushed to gather what Ratchet needed and get it into his medbay. The minute Ratchet pulled into his medbay, he and Barricade gently picked Lori up off his stretcher and set her on the bed they'd borrowed from the human infirmary when Lori had broken her shoulder. He ran a thorough diagnostic scan on her, and luckily found no broken bones, internal bleeding, or severe trauma; the scan did show how deep the wounds on her arms went and how deeply the chains had cut, but revealed no other severe injuries. She would need to be given more blood and her cuts were going to need disinfectant, but she was otherwise fine. The others crowded around him as soon as he began to treat her.

"Give me some room to work!" he snapped as he slowly inserted an IV needle into her hand. They backed off right away. As he'd told Optimus and Ironhide, he set the feed rate low in order to get blood into her without disturbing the dried blood that was temporarily preventing further blood loss.

"She's shaking," Jazz observed as Ratchet held one of her arms to clean it.

"Soundwave shocked her to shut her up, but knocked her out altogether," Barricade explained.

"Punk 'Con," Bumblebee said softly. Everyone surrounding Lori turned at the sound of screeching tires. Ironhide was tearing into medbay at break-neck speed, looking like he felt rushed after dropping off the NEST soldiers that had carpooled with him.

"How's she doing?" he asked as he activated his holoform.

"She's not quite stable, but I'm working on it," Ratchet answered. As if on queue, Lori began to regain consciousness.

"Daddy…" she muttered softly as she shifted about restlessly.

"I'm right here, Lori," Ironhide said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. He took her cleaned hand and held it as any concerned father might. Lori's eyes opened slowly, and when she saw Ironhide, she gave a weak smile. Then her gaze drifted to the blaster on her arm, and her expression went from weak relief to fear in the blink of an eye.

"Lori, you need to stay calm," Ratchet insisted gently.

"Come on, Lori," Ironhide pleaded softly. "You're gonna be all right. Everything's all right. Everything will be just fine. Please calm down." He tightened his grip on her hand, as if it would stop her shaking.

"Is that real…?" Lori asked breathlessly.

"Yes it is," Ratchet said flatly, "and you'll have get used to having built-in weapons. Right now, I need you to stay calm so that I can keep cleaning you up. You've lost a lot of blood."

"Is that why I feel so dizzy?" Lori asked. Ratchet was about to reply when they heard Shadow roar in infinite tones of stress.

"I'll go investigate that," Optimus said softly. "We're all glad we have you back, Lori." He then stepped out of medbay to check on Shadow.

"As I wanted to say before that little interruption, dizziness is normal with blood loss," Ratchet explained. "Although I'm not too worried about getting you back to normal now that you're awake. But because you lost quite a lot of blood, you'll need to rest in order to make a complete recovery."

"But I just woke up," Lori complained.

"You were knocked out by an electric shock," Ironhide corrected.

"Asleep and knocked unconscious are two different things," Ratchet added. "I need you resting properly so your body can heal itself."

"I'll stay right here if anything happens," Ironhide assured.

"I don't think I can sleep," Lori admitted.

"You're probably in shock," Ratchet said. "You probably won't be able to sleep until you're fully calmed down."

"Just let Ratchet take care of you," Ironhide mused gently. "I'm right here if you need me." Lori nodded as Ratchet continued to clean her up.

Optimus found Shadow curled up in the far corner of the training room, his tail lashing irritably. He approached Shadow slowly and knelt so he wasn't so large.

"Shadow, what's wrong?" he asked as he reached out to pet the Raptor.

"I'm not good enough," Shadow snarled.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to Lori," Optimus said gently. "If anything, it's my fault for not realizing how dangerous it was to send her home with just you and Ironhide to protect her. This proves just how high value a target she is to the Decepticons. You're very new to this war and inexperienced, but faced hard adversaries and survived. You've been very lucky, so don't you dare say that you're not good enough. You're giving your best effort and that's all we can ask of you." Shadow relaxed a little, and Optimus took the opportunity to pet Shadow in all his "sweet spots." This relaxed the Raptor further.

"Thank you," Shadow muttered. His tail was now lazily slithering on the floor.

"Lori's awake if you want to go see her," Optimus said. "She's a little frantic, but she's aware. I'm sure seeing you would help put her at ease." Shadow nodded and got up, shaking off stiffness.

As Optimus and Shadow walked into medbay, they found Ratchet applying disinfectant to Lori's ankles while the latter winced in pain. Lori's boots, which by some miracle had not been bled on, were at the foot of the bed with her socks.

"Just a little more, and then I'll get you wrapped up," Ratchet muttered gently. Ironhide's holoform was sitting beside Lori, doing his best to comfort her. Shadow slunk over as quietly as he could and set his head on her lap.

"Hi, Shadow," Lori greeted in a strained voice.

"I don't like seeing you hurt," Shadow complained. "It makes me sad."

"I don't like it either," Lori said, "but please don't feel sad. There's nothing you can do about it sometimes."

"You'll need to take it easy for a little while," Ratchet advised. "Your ankles will heal faster if you keep them elevated as often as possible. I also recommend that you to not put any weight on them unless you absolutely need to." He tucked a few pillows underneath her feet to prop them up a little.

"That feels really weird," Lori said. Ironhide chuckled a little at what she was implying.

"Less blood flow to your feet will allow the damaged tissue to heal faster," Ratchet explained. "I'm sorry if you feel like you're on a delivery table." Lori and Ironhide couldn't help but laugh at that.

"What does he mean?" Shadow asked.

"That's a topic for another time and place," Barricade said as he walked in.

"Where have you been?" Lori asked.

"Calming myself down," Barricade answered. "Being on Shadow's back and holding onto him for dear life while trying to keep a hold on you as he ran 40 miles an hour was pretty damn terrifying."

"Good thing you were out of my sight," Ratchet said. "If I'd seen you freaking out I would have sedated you."

"I'm probably more freaked out than you," Lori said. "I'm the one with shredded arms and built in guns!"

"That's going to be fun trying to explain," Ironhide muttered.

"How am I going to even retract them?" Lori asked.

"It's probably similar to how we do it," Ironhide replied.

"So like a thought command?" Lori sighed in frustration. "I'll never be able to leave this base if I don't know how my weapons work!"

"I could give you a good explanation on that if I do a full body scan," Ratchet offered. "Do you want to do that now or wait until you regain some of your strength?"

"Let's get it done now," Lori said. "It'll probably calm me down a great deal if I understand how my new features work and can learn how to control it."

"Alright, I can do that," Ratchet said. "Lori, I'll need you to stay still. The rest of you need to give me a little more room." When the others had backed away, Ratchet started his scan. He was very slow with the scan so he could take in as much data as possible. When the scan was finished, he posted the results on the main monitor screen. The results showed that Lori's skeleton was actually the same material that made up a Cybertronian's base frame, but in the shape of normal human bones. Tucked behind Lori's ribcage and below her heart was a small T-Cog, most likely what allowed her blasters to extend and retract. A gap between the "bones" in Lori's forearms was where said blasters likely retracted. The blasters were solar powered, could fire highly concentrated blasts of energy, and were as deadly as her father's cannons. Hidden in the folds of her vocal chords was a tiny modulator that would give her the ability to speak fluent Cybertronian if she learned how to use it consciously –Ratchet could tell she'd already used it unconsciously. Mixed into her optical nerves were optic fibers that, when active, would cause her eyes to behave like a Cybertronian's optics. The rest of her organs and external features were human; her facial features were an even mix of her mother and Ironhide's holoform, her eyes were obviously Autobot blue, her black hair was clearly inherited from her father, and she didn't have any feminine curves to speak of, but she definitely had her father's frame.

"Wow," Optimus whispered, visibly surprised.

"Dang, Lori, you're more like us than we thought!" Jazz said. Ironhide remained silent as he stared at the scan results. His expression was impossible to read.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Lori said. She looked at both her blasters intently, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes to concentrate. To everyone's unspoken relief, the blasters folded smoothly back into her arms.

"That's my girl," Ironhide said shakily as a proud smile spread across his face.

"Well, now I guess I can get my arms wrapped up," Lori said with a sharp wince. "Now I'm really feeling the pain." Ratchet promptly gave her a shot of strong painkiller and began wrapping her arms; he wrapped the gauze tight enough to prevent any more bleeding, but loose enough to keep her skin from sealing over where her blasters were so that she wouldn't cause fresh wounds the next time she extended the weapons for any reason. Once the gauze was secured around her arms, Ratchet adjusted the feed rate on her IV to a normal setting.

"Will that painkiller get her to sleep?" Barricade whispered to Ratchet so that Lori couldn't hear.

"It's strong enough to put her under until tomorrow morning," Ratchet whispered back. "Why do you ask?"

"Because she looks like she's gonna get really cranky," Barricade answered. "If she's exhausted and injured, she's not fun to deal with. Trust me on that one."

"Thanks for the heads up," Ratchet said. "Alright, everyone; I need all of you to go to the open hangar so I can properly address your injuries."

"Why not in here?" Ironhide asked.

"Lori has to rest so she can recover better," Ratchet explained. "If you're in here pestering her, she won't get the proper rest that she needs. Lori, I'll be checking on you from time to time and if you're not sleeping when I do check we're going to have a problem."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Lori said sarcastically.

"You should be scared," Ratchet warned.

"Will you rest for me?" Ironhide asked sweetly.

"Oh, fine," Lori answered. "I'll get some rest to make you happy, Daddy." She shifted around to get comfortable, suddenly looking tired –almost sickly because of how pale she was.

"Thank you, Lori," Ironhide said. As she drifted off, he smoothed her hair back and placed a little kiss on her forehead; before anyone could say how cute such a scene was, he pinned everyone with a death glare that dared a comment. Fearing the protective father's wrath, they all silently made their way to the open hangar. Ratchet got started repairing Shadow as soon as they were all settled in the hangar.

"Next time, the Decepticons won't stop me!" the Raptor hissed.

"Right, because next time you'll have some proper training from me," Ironhide replied. "That's going to happen as soon as Ratchet fixes us up; then you and I are going to my personal hangar so that I can teach you effective fighting moves."

"Really?" Shadow asked, looking excited by the prospect. His tail even rose a little.

"Absolutely," Ironhide answered. "I'll teach you all that I know; different methods work with different 'Cons and you're going to learn all of them."

"This is going to be fun!" Shadow purred. "But, what'll happen if I try shooting my blaster cannons with one out of commission?" He looked at his severely damaged weapon and rolled out the undamaged one, and at the same time, his back spikes extended. Most of the spikes were dented or bent over.

"Ironhide can take care of that in his workshop," Ratchet said. "But couldn't you two give your wounds a little time to heal?"

"We'll be fine," Ironhide said. "You worry too much."

"That's my job," Ratchet said as he worked on fixing Shadow's back spikes. Shadow yelped in pain every time a dent was popped out or bends were pulled the opposite way.

"Try to be a little quieter," Ironhide warned. "You might wake up Lori."

"I doubt it," Ratchet assured. "Getting kidnapped can be hard on a person. The rescue can affect them as well. She's fast asleep. I expect her to be out until the morning. She needs it too." Shadow did his best to muffle his pained yelps as Ratchet kept working, but froze solid as an idea came to him; on his left hip, a panel slid back to reveal the radio console and glove box of his Ford SVT F-150 Raptor form. Shadow nudged his glove box open with his snout, and then gingerly -without using his teeth- pulled out a micro-plush blanket that had a guitar/rose motif printed on it. Ratchet guessed Shadow's intention and paused his work to let Shadow carry out his plan. He and Ironhide followed the Raptor into medbay where Lori lay sleeping. Silently, Shadow draped the blanket over her and tugged at it until it covered her fully. Lori, though asleep, gripped the blanket with a blissful sigh.

"Good thinking, Shadow," Ironhide whispered. "It's bringing her comfort."

"The better she sleeps, the faster she'll heal," Ratchet said. He took the opportunity to change out the now empty IV bag with a fresh one.

"She's already looking better," Shadow said, noticing that a little color had returned to her face.

"A rapid recovery is just what I want," Ratchet muttered. "Let's keep it that way." With Shadow's task complete, they slunk back to the open hangar.

"How's Lori?" Jazz asked as soon as they returned.

"Is she going to be all right?" Bumblebee added.

"She's recovering steadily," Ironhide answered, cutting Ratchet off.

"She's going to make a full recovery soon," Ratchet added. "And since you appear un-injured, Jazz, I'd like you to take up a bedside watch for her tonight."

"Why not me?" Ironhide complained.

"You're injured and need to heal," Ratchet said. "Besides, you're going to train Shadow, remember?"

"Right, right," Ironhide replied. "Come on, Shadow." He proceeded to escort Shadow to his personal hangar.

In the hangar, which Ironhide referred to as his "office," was a variety of cluttered workspaces and a miniature training area full of scraped up targets. Several of the targets had wheels under them, and there were trackways all along the training floor so that the targets could move and provide more of a challenge.

"I like this," Shadow said with a fang-y grin.

"I'm glad," Ironhide said. "Let's get started by fixing your weapons." When it came to weapons, Ironhide's hands were just as delicate as Ratchet's. In no time, Shadow's weapons were even better than new, as Ironhide took liberties in improving what Optimus had provided for the Raptor. Given that Shadow had been created on Earth, he had a combination of Cybertronian and human firing capabilities, which Ironhide expanded. Shadow could now fire any large human-made ammunition, and his hip-mounted blaster cannons now fired the same concentrated solar energy blasts as Lori's weapons. Along with improved firing capabilities, Shadow could also extend and retract his weaponry faster than he originally had been able to. Ironhide also gave Shadow the ability to independently extended, retract, and fire both blasters cannons. For a good hour, Ironhide tested Shadow's weapons to make sure nothing jammed or stuck. By the time Ironhide was satisfied with Shadow's weapons, Shadow could extend his blaster cannons, "kill" a target, and have his weapons retracted as quickly as any gunslinger in a Western movie.

"That felt great!" Shadow purred. The two were on a break from training to allow Shadow time to regain a little energy.

"You learn quickly," Ironhide praised. "You've got shooting down well, but now you need to learn physical combat."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.

"I mean fighting with your teeth and claws," Ironhide explained. "You've got an advantage over most 'Cons because of such natural weaponry. They'll have little defense against getting clawed or bitten other than throwing you off or trying to shoot you. The first thing you'll want to do to have the upper hand is use your claws or teeth to disable their guns first."

"Like what I did to that helicopter 'Con, only better?" Shadow asked.

"Exactly," Ironhide replied. "Do you need a little more break time, or do you feel ready?"

"I feel ready!" Shadow said as he jumped up.

"I love your spirit," Ironhide said. With that, Ironhide proceeded to teach Shadow all that he knew about fighting from rapid attacks to ambushing, occasionally having to adjust his techniques to accommodate Shadow's different stature and body characteristics. Through the use of training dummies, Ironhide taught Shadow to use his teeth, claws, and even his tail as weapons. He advised Shadow on when to attack and when to flee, and warned him that the 'Cons never played fair. Whenever Shadow retracted his teeth to avoid damaging something, Ironhide gently but firmly told him that in a fight retracting his teeth could be the difference between winning and losing a fight. It took a few tries, but eventually Shadow was attacking the training dummies with his teeth fully extended every time. Ironhide became Shadow's ambush decoy, enjoying every minute of it, until he actually had to wonder where the Raptor was; when Shadow caught him by surprise he praised the Raptor. He was impressed by how ferocious Shadow could be, and inwardly felt glad that the 'Cons didn't have such a powerful creature among their ranks. Once fully trained, Shadow would be more than a match for Ravage and Scorponok combined. Ironhide continued to train Shadow until most of the targets on the training floor were about to fall apart and Shadow was panting from using so much energy.

"Thank you for teaching me," Shadow said as he cooled off from his most recent exertion.

"You performed excellently," Ironhide said. "I still have things to teach you, but this was enough for now. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Shadow admitted, "but I feel like I can be a much more effective fighter now."

"You will be," Ironhide assured. "How about we go check on Lori?" Shadow nodded enthusiastically and the two made their way to medbay.

In medbay, Ratchet was changing the bandages on Lori's arms and ankles. The latter was still fast asleep, but she was looking much better with a little more color on her face. Jazz and Barricade were sitting on either side of her, both occupied with some quiet activity.

"She's still asleep," Shadow muttered softly, looking a little crestfallen.

"She needs that sleep to heal," Ironhide replied. "Maybe Ratchet will let her get up in the morning."

"Of course I will," Ratchet said softly as he secured fresh gauze around Lori's right arm. " _If_ she shows enough improvement in the morning."

"What if she doesn't?" Ironhide asked.

"Then she's stuck in that bed even if she's awake," Ratchet answered.

"She won't like that," Barricade muttered. "She tries to be as active as possible."

"She'll learn that she can't win an argument with me," Ratchet said. Ironhide chuckled at that, having lost many an argument with the medic.

"She'll need to learn more than that," Optimus said as he walked in. "How was your training session with Shadow, Ironhide?"

"It went excellently," Ironhide replied. "Shadow's a fast learner." He gave Shadow a pet on the head, to which Shadow responded with a purr-like growl.

"That's very good to know," Optimus muttered. "Lori's going to need all the protection we can give her."

"That's gonna be fun explaining to her band-mates," Barricade remarked softly.

"She has to keep us a secret," Optimus said sternly. "Her drummer may know due to family ties, but we don't need to be exposed to the others. The hard part comes when she does take to the roads."

"Lori's mom said that her being on tour is what kept my former comrades from getting her," Barricade explained. "I'm sure the contracting firm is going to insist the band travels by RV for the sake of their comfort and saving gas, and I know Lori will promise not to get into any more fights while on tour."

"It's not other humans that concern me," Optimus replied. "What bothers me is the fact that not only do they know where she lives, but they also know who she is and how she looks. I simply cannot let her be anywhere unattended."

"If you plan on following her, I suggest you keep yourselves low-key," Barricade warned. "She may not like knowing that you're keeping a close watch on her."

"I know, but it may be the only way," Optimus said. "However, I will try to think of solutions."

"What you could do is put live-feed cameras in their RV," Barricade suggested. "Having one of you tailing her is great, but what if you lose track of the RV for any amount of time? Being able to see inside it could give you the ability to act much faster in the event they get attacked."

"Of course, that all depends on if they even get an RV," Ratchet said.

"I would count on it," Barricade replied. "I've been put in contact with the rest of the band since my employment as lighting and sound tech, and they would love an RV. Having an RV will be the difference between sleeping in comfort and staying in a run-down motel for them. And honestly, you should probably have some live-feed cameras put in her house too."

"She doesn't already have them?" Jazz asked in surprise. "There are some seriously crazy people on this planet."

"She thinks she won't get robbed because she lives in the boonies," Barricade explained. "But I agree with you about there being some serious nuts around. Her guitar collection is easily worth seven figures, and her blade collection is worth around five figures. She's obviously more valuable than her material items, but she'd be heartbroken and pissed if she lost anything."

"I prefer seeing Lori in a pleasant mood," Jazz said.

"Hopefully she'll be in good spirits in the morning," Ratchet said as he tucked Lori back under her blanket. "For now, let's all get some rest… except for you, Jazz. You come and wake me up if anything on that monitor screen changes from green to red."

"Gotcha, Ratch," Jazz said. "You might have to drag lil' ol' Cade with you, though. I know he's not on bedside watch with me." Barricade glared at him as Shadow nudged him away from Lori's bed and out of medbay.

Unbeknownst to the others, Lori was dreaming.

It was definitely not a pleasant dream in any context, even if it had started out with Lori practicing with her band. The tour was rapidly nearing and already promotions were plastered all across the country, both positive and negative. It was the negative ads that troubled Lori; with content like exposed secrets, controversies, and rumors choking airwaves and covering billboards, it would only take hours for former fans to lose their love for Apocalypse Entertainment. She was worried that the ads would completely cancel the tour, and hoped that the positive ads would counteract the effects.

And that was when the dream got really weird… and frightening.

There had been an apparent time-skip, because suddenly Lori and her band were about to go onstage for their first show. Naturally, Lori was both excited and nervous because she hadn't performed in almost a year. She knew the fear would ebb as soon as she took the stage and began to sing, but even as she walked onto the stage, guitar in hand, the fear only seemed to get worse. She was feeling stage fright! She was fully aware that she was dreaming, but couldn't wake herself; she blamed Ratchet and him damn painkillers for making her stay asleep and stuck in this displeasing dream. She did her best to swallow her fear and start the show, but she could hear a tremble in her voice that definitely was not a vibrato. Luckily, the crowd didn't seem to notice… they didn't seem to even acknowledge the band was performing. There hadn't been any cheering when they'd walked on, and there hadn't been the usual introductions. The crowd was staring directly at the stage… or right through it. In the low light, Lori looked directly into the eyes of a random person in the crowd, and nearly stopped singing because of the paralyzing fear that burned through her body as soon as she could see the person's eyes.

All Lori could see was black, empty voids where eyes should have been.

She dropped her own eyes to the stage upon this discovery, only to have them wander back out to the dead crowd. She'd seemed to have caught their attention, but in the wrong way because they were all shuffling right for the stage! The sea of "zombie" fans climbed onto the stage, with ill intent radiating from them. Lori was the only band member to escape the "zombies" and get outside.

But naturally, outside proved to be the worse option as Lori came face-to face with a looming, shadowy figure right outside the back door of the stadium they'd been scheduled to play in that day. The shadow figure made a slow, sweeping gesture to the city beyond, and like the gullible idiot she tended to be during dreams, Lori ran at full speed. Of course, the shadow figure ran after her because it had wanted her to run in the first place. Lori ran as fast as she could through the twisting city streets, the shadow figure keeping up with her every step of the way.

The chase somehow ended up in the forest, where Lori ended up getting pinned to a convenient rock cliff. The shadow figure's cloaked arm reached out for her, its hand level with her chest… and her heart.

She felt its ice-cold touch before her mind went blank.


	11. Chapter 8: New Features (Part 2)

**A/N: This is about when Lori starts to get in other trouble...**

She sat bolt upright, gasping and clutching her chest in terror. It took her moment, but she realized she was awake and slipped back onto the pillows. She tried to relax and go back to sleep, but she was too shaken and morning light was flooding into medbay anyway.

"Are you all right?" Jazz asked, having witnessed the whole, if brief, event.

"Yeah," Lori answered tiredly. "It was just a nightmare. Ugh… that felt too real, and I knew I was dreaming the whole damn time!"

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I guess I should…" Lori muttered. She then recounted to Jazz all she'd experienced, adding how she blamed the painkillers for keeping her asleep.

"Some dream," Jazz remarked. "Maybe it's a sign or something. You should look into it."

"Well to be honest, it's not the first time," Lori growled. "I tend to have nightmares after I get into fights. It's probably my conscience telling me to stop fighting, but people just piss me off so easily! Honestly, Barricade is the only one who's never triggered my anger. Hell, he's calmed me down when I've been on the verge of strangling someone."

"Well it's a good thing he's on our side then," Jazz. "But now that you're awake, do you want to do anything?"

"That depends on Ratchet letting me," Lori muttered.

"Oh, who cares what he thinks?" Jazz joked. "Besides, it's fun to mess with him."

"That's twisted, but I like twisted," Lori said. She got up and wrapped her blanket around her like a cape. Jazz took her to the mess hall to get her some coffee.

In Ironhide's hangar, Shadow slowly awoke with a leisurely stretch. He'd spent the night with Ironhide since he was Lori's father and didn't want to sleep in medbay. Yawning, he shook off drowsiness and prepared to find his Master.

"You're up early," Ironhide muttered tiredly.

"I just wanted to see if Lori was awake," Shadow admitted.

"I doubt it," Ironhide said. "We might as well keep working on your training."

"Alright," Shadow replied. "Can I use one of the runways? I want to show you my top running speed."

"Let's do that," Ironhide agreed. "We can use the runways." Ironhide escorted Shadow to the flight line, where various humans were milling about doing their jobs. Shadow did his best not to look intimidating as he walked onto the end of a nearby runway. With the Raptor equivalent of a smirk, Shadow crouched low and took off running, rapidly reaching a speed of 80 miles per hour as he bolted down the runway. Optimus and a group of Generals were walking on the tarmac when Shadow zoomed by them, and Shadow let himself glance back to see the impressed expressions on all of them, but Optimus was keeping them from asking questions.

"Go Shadow!" Lori yelled in the distance. She was walking out with Jazz at that moment, and looked delighted at her "pet's" display of speed.

"Thatta boy, Shadow!" Ironhide called. The momentary distraction kept Shadow from seeing a fighter jet taxiing down an intersecting runway, but before they collided, Shadow leapt over the aircraft with several feet to spare and continued to run. He stopped at the end of the runway and gave Optimus a sheepish look, but to his relief, Optimus gave him a thumbs-up in approval of his ability. Shadow happily ran back to his starting point, but at half the speed.

"Wow that was way faster than his extinct counterparts!" Lori remarked.

"That's because Cybertronians are awesome," Jazz teased. Lori laughed in agreement. Ironhide gave Shadow encouraging praise as he petted and gently scratched the Raptor. Shadow happily accepted the praise, another purr-like growl escaping him. Deciding to turn training into playing, Ironhide grabbed a discarded piece of metal piping and initiated a game of fetch with Shadow. Lori giggled as Shadow chased after the thrown pipe, always catching it midair and returning it enthusiastically to Ironhide, his tail lashing in excitement. Ironhide added some challenge by throwing multiple pieces of pipe, but Shadow still managed to catch them all.

"Good boy, Shadow!" Lori praised.

"Wanna try, Lori?" Ironhide offered. Lori nodded and Ironhide passed her the piece of pipe they'd been using, now riddled with teeth marks. Lori threw it with all her might, but Shadow needed to only take a step to catch it since she was smaller than Ironhide.

"Nailed it!" Lori teased. Shadow stood proudly with the piece of pipe in his jaws.

"This has become a weird family," Jazz muttered. "We've the father, the daughter, the pet, the crazy uncles, and the weird boyfriend… but we still need more girls."

"We can include Josie," Lori joked.

"Yeah, but I barely know her," Jazz said. "We need a family bonding session with all the family there. Though having more femmes would be nice too."

"That's our term for girl," Ironhide quickly explained.

"That would be cool," Lori agreed. "You know, Josie could very well be out here, seeing that her aunt works here and all. Josie can be a total girly-girl, but she's a drumming master."

"Well you're perfect just the way you are," Ironhide said as he lifted Lori up into a hug.

"Thanks, dad," Lori said happily.

"So how are you feeling?" Ironhide asked. "You had us _all_ worried, even Optimus, although he'll never admit it."

"I'm definitely feeling better," Lori answered, "but I'm still pretty shaken. When you said I'd never get another quiet day again, I wasn't expecting getting kidnapped."

"Sorry, Lori, but I attract trouble like a magnet," Ironhide teased. "I guess you got that from me too."

"Considering all the fights I've gotten into?" Lori giggled. "I'm hardly surprised."

"We're fighters," Ironhide said. "It's in our blood… slash energon." He chuckled at his little joke as Jazz rolled his optics.

"Well, thankfully it hasn't gotten me into trouble," Lori said.

"Yet," Jazz teased.

"Ha, funny," Lori replied. "… though, why do I get the feeling I'm going to get in trouble really soon?"

"It can't be avoided," Jazz said. "You're on our base where a bunch of different bots or people could get you into trouble."

"True enough," Lori muttered.

 _Elsewhere…_

Barricade sat in the busy mess hall, nursing a cup of coffee. In the brief time he'd been human, he'd grown to need the warm beverage. He looked up to see Sam Witwicky and Bumblebee's holoform walking in and getting some food. Bumblebee spotted him and he and Sam came to sit with him.

"Hey," Barricade greeted, looking sheepish.

"Friend of yours?" Sam asked Bumblebee. Barricade felt glad Sam didn't recognize him like this.

"Yeah, I'd consider him a friend," Bumblebee answered. "Wanna introduce yourself?"

"Yeah," Barricade muttered. "I'm Cade."

"Just Cade?" Bumblebee asked. Barricade gave him the 'I-don't-want-to-freak-him-out' look.

"Well, how are ya, Cade?" Sam greeted. "What are you here for? You don't have that military haircut, so…"

"I'm Lori's boyfriend," Barricade answered. "It's a long story, but it started off with her nearly running me over."

"That's a great way to start a relationship," Sam joked. "I started mine by finding out about Bee and the others."

"I kinda got Lori into this craziness," Cade said, "but she's handling it pretty well… considering Ironhide is her father."

"Yea, Bee mentioned that," Sam replied. "I didn't know our species could, ya know, mix…" he blushed awkwardly.

"She surprised us all," Bumblebee said with a chuckle.

"I don't know how that worked either," Barricade said, "but Lori is definitely more like her father. She's has changed me for the better, though."

"Hey, that's women for you," Sam said with a chuckle.

"Lori's pretty nice for the most part, but when she's not…" Barricade trailed off for effect, "It's smart to avoid her until she loses steam."

"That's how my girlfriend can be," Sam mused with a laugh. "Bee said I could meet this Lori after I ate something."

"Yeah, so eat up," Bumblebee said.

"Chill, Bee," Sam chided. "I know you're my guardian, but calm down."

"That's how Ironhide is wit Lori," Barricade said with a laugh. "Also how Ratchet will be when he finds out she's not asleep like she's supposed to be…" He'd seen her sneak out of medbay, but didn't want to turn on her for such a little, trivial thing.

"Damn, she is like her dad if she'd dare face that medic's wrath!" Sam remarked.

"If we hurry, we'll get to how that plays out," Bumblebee said.

"She's definitely stubborn," Barricade muttered.

"Let's go before we miss it," Sam said, rapidly finishing his food.

Barricade, Sam, and Bumblebee were walking out to the flight line to join the others when Ratchet walked outside at the same time, looking less than pleased.

"Lori, I never said you were cleared to get up," the medic snapped, crossing his arms. Lori was at a loss for words when the trio walked up.

"Can I vouch for Lori?" Barricade asked.

"Go ahead," Ratchet growled, glaring at Lori.

"She was unconscious for who knows how many hours yesterday," Barricade said. "I imagine the last thing she wants to do is sleep. Plus if she's up and walking on her own she's probably recovering just fine."

"Fine," Ratchet muttered sourly. "Barricade, do me a favor and wear her out so she won't protest this evening."

"What do you have in mind?" Ironhide asked, looking like he didn't approve of the idea of Barricade wearing his daughter out.

"Don't be a third wheel, daddio," Jazz teased with a laugh.

"I was hoping Lori could teach me to fight… like a human," Barricade admitted. He had no 'muscle memory' for fighting moves in his new body.

"As skinny as you are right now?" Lori asked. "I don't know what I could teach that wouldn't kill you by exhaustion."

"Ugh, this is so awkward," Barricade complained. "I didn't mean to make it awkward…"

"I doubt you had any bad thoughts," Lori teased.

"Never," Barricade answered quickly.

"I guess you don't mean any harm," Ironhide said as he set Lori down. "Run along you two, and be careful."

"We will!" Lori assured with a giggle.

"Could we invite Bumblebee?" Barricade asked. "I need to make friends somehow."

"Sure," Lori agreed, "but he might kick your ass."

"Yeah, but you'll teach me to defend myself right?" Barricade asked.

"Of course," Lori assured. "Let's get to the training room!"

"As tempting as it is to see Barricade get his aft whooped, I think I'll go take a nap," Ironhide muttered as he watched Lori and Barricade leave. "I don't even remember the last time I logged some recharge."

"That sounds like a good idea," Jazz replied as he stretched. "Sadly, I still gotta run through a training simulator with some of the new guys. I love seeing their faces when they discover they have us living here and that they work with us."

An hour later, Lori had taught Barricade a great deal of self-defense, but he was already wearing down.

"Where do you get your energy, Lori?" Barricade asked breathlessly.

"Probably from my dad," Lori answered. "What's wrong, you tired already?"

"No…" Barricade tried to lie.

"Liar," Bumblebee said as he tossed the ex-'Con a bottle of PowerAde.

"Thank Primus," Barricade said as he caught the bottle. He opened it and chugged half the contents in seconds.

"Wanna help him review what he just learned, Bee?" Lori asked. "Just go gentle on him."

"If you say so," Bumblebee teased. Sam cheered Bumblebee on from the bleachers.

"Kill me now," Barricade muttered in embarrassment. "I'm gonna make myself look like an idiot."

"You can do it, you big chicken," Lori teased. "Here, let me pluck your feathers." She grabbed Barricade's sides and tickled him.

"And I thought I used to be evil!" Barricade yelped as he squirmed out of her grip. He froze when he realized his tongue had slipped. Luckily, Sam didn't seem to notice since he didn't know the Autobots extremely well.

"If I'm too much to handle, I've been teaching Sam to fight as well," Bumblebee said. "Wanna have a go at him instead?"

"Nah, I'd rather have my af- err… ass kicked by you," Barricade replied, shaking his head.

"Fine," Bumblebee said. "But even if you were your old self, I'd just whoop your aft again because I already could."

"Yeah, yeah," Barricade muttered, "Now let's throw down." He and Bumblebee widened their stances and smirked at each other. Bumblebee made the first move and moved in, to which Barricade reacted with sidestep and attempted to throw a punch.

"You're too slow, and that's predictable," Bumblebee commented as he ducked and spun a leg out. Barricade was hit in the leg and sent to the floor, yelping in surprise.

"That was sloppy, love," Lori chided.

"Yeah, well, I got startled," Barricade defended as he got up. Not a second later, Bumblebee was on top of him. Barricade yelped and scrambled to get away, looking afraid.

"That was mean, Bee," Lori teased.

"I'm an Autobot, but I don't have to be nice," Bumblebee said. He toyed with Barricade and made sure he didn't get too far away.

"Lori, help!" Barricade cried.

"I would if I wasn't so entertained," Lori teased. Helplessly, Barricade spun around with a defensive stance, but he still looked afraid.

"Grow a pair and fight me!" Bumblebee demanded as he charged again. "At least make this interesting. Pretend your old buddies are watching." Bumblebee then lifted Barricade up by the collar of his shirt.

"Put me down!" Barricade begged, blushing. He thrashed and tried to kick Bumblebee.

"Oh my, I'm a terrible teacher," Lori muttered. "Be nice, Bee!"

"But I am," Ironhide said. "Great job, Bee! Show no mercy!"

"No, please go easy on the twig!" Lori countered with a laugh. "He's barely picked up on basic evasive and fighting moves."

"The twig should know how to fight," Ironhide said. "He's been fighting for millennia." Bumblebee gave a merciless grin and body slammed the poor ex-'Con. Just then, Optimus and Jazz walked in.

"Here I was thinking I was the only bi mech around here," Jazz teased while Optimus smirked. Barricade cursed and scrambled out from under Bumblebee.

"Stop running and fight!" Bumblebee snapped. Sam walked down from his perch and greeted Optimus. Jazz activated his holoform and pulled Sam into a noogie.

"What do think of Lori?" Jazz asked. "A real spitfire isn't she?"

"Yeah," Sam replied quickly. "Bee, help!" Lori had fallen off her seat, laughing.

"Ah Primus, I'm such a fragging goober," Barricade complained. "I even suck at fighting now…" He was so disappointed with himself that he didn't notice Bumblebee was distracted by Sam.

"This has taken an odd turn," Lori commented as she calmed down.

"Typical day here," Ironhide replied.

"Man, why did my house have to be dangerous?" Lori asked

"My fault, sorry," Barricade muttered.

"It's not entirely your fault," Lori replied.

"You're welcome to stay on base," Optimus offered.

"I would love to, but I have so much gear at home," Lori replied. "I have my knife collection, band gear, and also my mom's car, which is completely immobile under its own power. My house is also where my band practices because the living room is huge. Is it possible to have a few soldiers move into other houses in the subdivision? I know of at least two or three for sale around me."

"I'll see what I can do," Optimus said after an aggressive nudge from Ironhide. He dipped his head in good-bye and left.

"Man, Lori, you're more of a Decepticon magnet than me," Sam remarked.

"Tell me about it," Lori said in agreement.

"Ouch," Barricade muttered.

"I wasn't talking about you, silly," Lori assured. "Besides, you're not technically one anymore anyway."

"What?" Sam asked.

"It's just an inside joke," Lori said, realizing that Sam didn't know that her love interest was a reformed Decepticon.

"Yeah, just an inside joke," Barricade agreed.

"Okay ,then," Sam muttered. "Anyways, I'm heading to a party where I'm meeting up with my girlfriend. Do you guys want to come?"

"Can I dad?" Lori asked. It felt funny to her, asking her father permission to attend a party when she was a grown woman.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Lori," Ironhide answered, "You're recovering from breaking your shoulder and getting kidnapped. Plus the Decepticons are after you."

"Come on, Papa Hide, let Lori enjoy herself," Bumblebee said. "You know I'll be there because I'm the ride, plus it'll be really crowded and it's public. The Cons won't know she's at a random party."

"Please let me have some fun before I go on the road?" Lori asked.

"Ratchet is going to kill me…" Barricade mumbled under his breath.

"I'll deal with the Hatchet," Ironhide said to Barricade.

"I'll keep Optimus busy," Jazz said. "I know he won't want you off base."

"You guys are the best!" Lori declared.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Barricade asked.

"Absolutely," Lori answered.

"Don't be a party crasher, Cade," Sam said.

"Well you should do something about your hair, and do you have a dress?" Barricade asked.

"I'll just ask Jazz," Lori said.

"I'm happy to help," Jazz replied.

"I am so gonna die today," Barricade muttered.

"Stop being a big baby and take Lori out," Jazz chastised.

"How do I expect to earn trust if I go behind Optimus's back?"

"Just say Lori made you do it," Ironhide said. "I'm sure he'd believe you."

"That's crazy!" Barricade complained. "Why would that even work?"

"Quit whining, Cade," Lori teased. "Anyway, how should I dress for a party, Jazz?"

"It's not a fancy party, more like a bonfire in the woods," Sam explained.

"Well then, I'd say dress comfy, but stylish," Jazz said.

"Ha, that's kinda hard considering none of my clothes fit me right," Lori joked. "I can definitely pull off a badass look, though."

"Right, right, my bad, you're 'Hide's kid not mine," Jazz said. "Badass works too."

"Now the other problem," Lori said. "All my clean clothes are either at the house or in medbay."

"Do you want to chance the house or medbay?" Ironhide asked.

"I'd rather chance the house," Lori said. "Distracting Ratchet will be too risky."

"Alright," Ironhide said. "Bee, get going. Jazz and I will start distracting."

"Thanks dad!" Lori replied happily as Bumblebee transformed and she got in. "Cade, are you coming?"

"Fine…" Barricade agreed reluctantly.

"Let's go!" Bumblebee said as Barricade got in. He closed his doors and the party of four took off. They successfully got off base without Ratchet or Optimus noticing.

At the house, Lori got out of Bumblebee feeling victorious. She was glad that they'd made it there without the unwanted parties knowing.

"This is a really nice place you have, Lori," Sam commented. But as he looked at all the damage the Decepticons had caused recently, he muttered, "Oh… yikes."

"They killed off the weeds all over the yard at least," Lori joked as she fished her keys out of her pocket. "Cade, while I freshen up, could you pack up the lights?"

"Of course," Barricade answered. Lori unlocked her door an opened it, revealing the untouched light setup.

"Wow, this stuff looks awesome!" Sam said. Bumblebee activated his holoform and settled on the couch to wait for Lori to freshen up.

"Thank you," Lori replied. "I was teaching Cade here how to program and control all this. My band is reuniting and we need a dedicated techie."

"It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it," Barricade said as he got started taking the setup down.

"Cool," Sam replied. "Will I get a discount on tickets?" He chuckled at his small joke.

"I'll consider it," Lori said as she headed to her bathroom. She closed the door and the sounds of running water followed shortly after. Barricade was very delicate in putting away each individual piece of equipment. He also made sure to carefully wrap up the sensitive DMX cables and put cases back in the same order as he and Lori had taken them out of the room where they were being stored.

In the bathroom, Lori was happily washing her face and doing what she called a "quickie wash" on her hair. She inhaled the scent of her coconut soaps and she massaged her scalp and face with them. She even indulged a little and went so far as to wash her neck and arms. It had been so long since she'd attended a party that she wasn't hosting. Even if it wasn't an indoor party and she'd probably just get dirty again, she still did a thorough job of washing up so she'd make a good impression on all the new people she would meet. Besides, her hair had been starting to feel a little greasy and she just hadn't had the time to tidy it up since the whole kidnapping fiasco. She deserved a little personal time after that.

"So are you looking forward to the tour?" Sam asked Barricade.

"Oh, definitely," Barricade answered. "It'll be my first tech job."

"What kind of music does Lori's band play?"

"She's told me that they're a rock band," Barricade replied.

"So I'm guessing you know who plays what?" Bumblebee asked.

"I don't know everyone's names yet," Barricade admitted, "but I do Lori does guitars and vocals, then she's got two guys who do guitars and vocals with her, she's get a drummer, and she someone who plays piano, electric keyboard, and synthesizer."

"That's awesome," Sam said.

"She's showed me home-made recordings of stuff they've done, and they sounded pretty great back then," Barricade said. "They'll probably work hard to sound even better."

"Wow, it's getting close to party time," Bumblebee muttered. He spotted Lori exiting her bathroom and asked her, "Could you hurry a bit? We still need to pick up Mikaela."

"Can do," Lori said as she shut her door.


	12. Chapter 9: New Arrivals

**A/N: Uh oh! Lori's in trouble now! Warning! Heavy cussing again!**

Sitting in the corner of Lori's bedroom was a man she recognized from somewhere…

But then it suddenly hit her.

Uncle Mark… Megatron.

"Oh shit!" Lori shrieked as she stumbled back, but Megatron grabbed her and pulled her away from the door as he shut it.

"Easy there, my dear Lori" Megatron hissed. "I only wish to talk since we didn't get to earlier. Now, calm everyone out there or this house will be blown up. I'll speak to you one way or another, and it's entirely up to you."

"You okay in there, Lori?" Bumblebee asked. Megatron lifted a brow, waiting for her to act.

"Motherfucker…" Lori whispered before answering Bumblebee. "I'm fine! I just saw a rat scurry across my floor and over-reacted. I'll be out in a few minutes!"

"Okay…" Bumblebee said, sounding unsure. Megatron smiled and gestured for her to sit down.

"So what do you want?" Lori asked softly as she sat on the foot of her bed.

"I technically want you," Megatron answered as he stood in front of her dominantly, "but that causes too much unneeded drama. So to make up for that now, I want to know how you function. How you came to be. I want to know your limits. That's just naming a few things I want from you."

"I don't know that myself," Lori replied with an exasperated sigh. "I only just figured out I'm half Cybertronian! How the hell would I know how I work already?"

"I always get what I want," Megatron hissed, stepping closer to Lori. "I'm sure you're already tired of being attacked by my subordinates. How about we strike up a deal? One only between you and me."

"If anything involves your hands on me, there won't be a deal, you creep," Lori growled.

"Not what I had in mind," Megatron muttered with a smirk. "Although, if you want to go that path, you need only ask."

"Oh, hell no!" Lori snapped quietly. "I have a boyfriend, thank you very much."

"That never stopped my previous partners," Megatron said with a shrug.

"Just propose your damn deal and leave me the hell alone!" Lori hissed.

"If you insist," Megatron said with a dark chuckle. "You must secretly meet me with information on yourself. I want answers to all my previous questions; this seems to be the only peaceful way to get what I want. If not, I can always go back to ordering attacks on you. No one else must know of this, obviously."

"I can't just text you?" Lori asked. "There's no way I'll be able to be sneaky. In fact, I know I'll be facing double wrath from Optimus and Ratchet for sneaking here in the first place!"

"I'm not much of a texter," Megatron replied. "But don't worry about Prime and his medic, I'm sure you have them wrapped around your pretty little finger. Besides, you don't always have to come to me, I could also come to you."

"Dammit…" Lori snarled, growing nervous at the familiar hungry glimmer forming in his holoform's eyes.

"So what do you decide?" Megatron demanded.

"Either my house gets blown up, or I spill my guts on how I work…" Lori trailed off, feeling sick. "I obviously don't have any choice other than option two."

"Good girl," Megatron said. "If you keep behaving I might just reward you."

"I'll pass on the rewards," Lori said quickly and nervously.

"You say that now, but I'm sure I can change your mind," Megatron replied. "Now, I have other business to attend to. Find me some answers in the meantime, as you won't like it if I'm disappointed. I'll be in touch." With that, his holoform flickered away. Lori staggered out of her room paled and shaking.

"I'm suddenly not feeling very good," she muttered weakly. "I don't know where that rat got off to, and I just want get back to base before anyone finds out."

"Lori, are you okay?" Barricade asked in concern.

"I will be," Lori answered. "Let's just get back before I have Optimus and Ratchet pissed off at me."

As everyone made their way out of the house, Bumblebee could sense something very off and scanned Lori's room. Finding nothing, he deactivated his holoform and took off to return to base.

By the time they were pulling into the gate of the base, Lori was running a fever that made her worryingly hot to the touch… a convenient cover up for the combined anger, fear, stress, and guilt she felt. Thankfully, Optimus and Ratchet hadn't even noticed Lori had been gone. They were arguing with human officials about what they were willing to share regarding their technology. Ironhide and Jazz were in the argument as well, so nobody noticed their arrival. As Lori got out of Bumblebee, what started as a sigh of relief turned into a violent coughing fit. This got everyone's attention, and Ratchet dismissed himself from the argument to tend to Lori, asking her what was wrong. Ironhide had followed him and picked Lori up.

"Lori just suddenly started feeling sick," Barricade said.

"My head feels like it's spinning," Lori complained weakly.

"Primus, Lori, you're burning up!" Ironhide said in concern as his hands touched her hot skin.

"I'll give you something for your fever, Lori, but do your best to relax," Ratchet muttered as he gently took Lori from her father and carried her to medbay. Ironhide and Bumblebee followed close behind.

"You're lucky, dad," Lori groaned as she was set on a berth.

"What do you mean?" Ironhide asked.

"You don't have to feel the way I do right now," Lori answered after another coughing fit. "I get sick so rarely that it's always total misery…"

"We do get sick too, you know," Ironhide said in an attempt to sympathize. "It's never pretty feeling under the weather, but at least you have free access to an awesome doctor."

"Yeah…" Lori groaned.

"Drink this," Ratchet ordered gently as he handed the shivering girl a small medicine cup. Lori tried to drink it, but she was shaking so much she was close to spilling it.

"I need help…" Lori admitted.

"It's alright," Ratchet assured as he took the medicine from her. "I'll get it into your system more subtly." Lori nodded in thanks as Ratchet put her on an IV. Lori took a deep, hoarse breath of relief as the medicine took effect and cleared her sinuses and throat. Ratchet got to work examining Lori to determine what she was ill with; her vitals were thankfully quite stable, and her sinuses were still congested, but her throat was inflamed from irritation and her temperature was a high 104 degrees.

"So what do I have?" Lori asked hoarsely.

"Looks like a bad case of the flu," Ratchet answered.

"Really?" Lori coughed.

"Yes, but given your Cybertronian half, it's more severe than normal," Ratchet explained.

"Oh great…" Lori groaned.

"Now, I want you to get more rest," Ratchet advised. "Hopefully Optimus will have figured out a way to keep your home safe when you wake up."

"Hopefully…" Lori trailed off as she fell asleep.

"Damn," Jazz whispered. "I don't even remember the last time I logged recharge like that."

"She's young," Ratchet said, "and still needs as much rest as she can get. She especially needs it if she's going on tour." Ironhide nodded as he quietly asked Bumblebee what had happened. Bumblebee gave the same story as Barricade. As he and Sam left to go get Mikaela, Ironhide went to Lori's bedside, calling Shadow to him.

"Is she okay?" Shadow asked as he ran in, slipping a bit on the floor.

"Hush!" Ironhide hissed softly. "Yes, she's all right just feeling unwell."

"Sorry," Shadow muttered. "I hope she gets better soon…" Optimus walked tiredly just then, and gave Shadow a quick pat on the head as he looked down at Lori.

"I wonder how she could have gotten sick…" he trailed off.

"It's not like she'd been exposed to anything, well, aside from getting kidnapped," Ironhide said. Optimus shook his head, wondering how exactly Lori had fallen ill. Shadow whimpered and went to nuzzle Lori, but the sleeping girl wrapped her arms around his snout tightly.

"Now for the hard part," Optimus muttered. "Figuring out how to keep Lori's home safe from the Decepticons even though they already know its location. It would be easier if she was willing to move."

"You know she isn't, Optimus," Ironhide replied softly so as not to wake his daughter.

"I know, so I'm trying to figure what defense measures need to be put in place," Optimus assured.

"I guess that includes Shadow, hm?" Ironhide said with a chuckle, gazing at the still ensnared Raptor.

"He is meant to be a guardian," Optimus said, restraining his chuckle.

"Thanks for bringing him to life for her," Ironhide said. "He means a lot to her, and from what I can tell that goes back to before he was alive."

"I enjoyed creating his life," Optimus said. He gave Ironhide a pat on the shoulder before leaving to attend other duties he had.

As Optimus left, Shadow huffed and gave Ironhide a pleading look, wanting his snout freed from is sleeping master. Ironhide chuckled softly as he gently pried Lori's arms from Shadow's snout. He activated his holoform and held her tenderly. Lori tightened her grip on him, her skin still burning hot and body shivering.

"You can squeeze me as much as you need to," Ironhide whispered, and felt tension melt from her heated muscles. Lori smiled a little and soon her shivering eased. Ironhide fell asleep holding Lori, and didn't awake until hours later when an explosion shook the base. His holoform fell off the berth, startled.

"What…" Lori muttered, half awake. "What was that…? Are you okay, dad…?"

"I'm fine," Ironhide answered as he jumped up, "but whoever caused that isn't going to be when I'm done with them."

"Never a dull moment around here," Jazz joked as he ran by.

"I would seriously love a dull moment," Lori muttered, then coughed.

"What's going on out here?" Ratchet asked as he rounded the corner.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Ironhide said. "Stay with Shadow, Lori." He also called Barricade and told him to stay with Lori.

"How are you feeling, Lori?" Barricade asked as he ran into medbay.

"Better, but confused," Lori said as she sat up.

"I want to look, but Ironhide told me to stay…" Shadow muttered. Outside, there were several voices arguing loudly in Cybertronian.

"What's that about…?" Lori muttered as she got up.

"Lori, you shouldn't be up if you're sick!" Barricade complained in concern.

"I feel fine enough to see what's going on," Lori countered and continued on her way.

(You _can't be here!_ ) One of the voices snapped. Lori froze when she realized that she understood what had been said.

"That doesn't sound good," Barricade said as he caught up to Lori and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, you're still running a high fever. I'll go look, you go back to bed."

"I understood them… How…?" Lori shook her head, but didn't move. They listened for a few minutes, and Optimus could be heard speaking in a calming, level voice in an attempt to calm the others involved.

"It sounds like Optimus is smoothing things out," Barricade muttered. "Seriously, Lori, go back to bed before you get into more trouble." He was starting to nudge Lori back to her bed when they heard Ratchet speaking angrily and Jazz laughing.

"Oh, great," Lori said.

"At least it doesn't seem dangerous," Barricade said as he continued to usher Lori back to her bed. There was a lot more commotion outside before Ratchet walked in, looking royally pissed off.

"Um, hi?" Lori greeted, still standing. She muffled a sneeze and smiled innocently.

"Oh, Lori," Ratchet muttered. "Say good-bye to dull moments from now on."

"What happened?" Lori asked.

"They did," Ratchet answered as two Lamborghinis came speeding in, one red, the other yellow. "Will you two knock it off!?"

"Watcha gonna do, Hatchet?" the red Lambo teased as it transformed.

"Yea, you hurt us, you gotta fix us!" the yellow Lambo taunted.

"Are they always like that?" Lori asked after coughing more.

"And who is this?" the Lambos asked.

"Your worst nightmare," Lori growled. She still looked quite ill, but she was trying to sound hostile.

"We like you," the Lambos said with creepy smiles.

"What about you?" the yellow Lambo asked as he poked Barricade.

"I'm her boyfriend," Barricade answered nervously.

"Dad, who are these weirdos?" Lori asked.

"You'll get used to these weirdos hopefully," Ironhide said. "Meet Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."

"Dad?" the Lambos asked in disbelief.

"We'll see," Lori said. "I'm getting a new headache, so if you new guys bother me, you're gonna regret it."

"We've yet to regret anything we've ever done," Sideswipe teased. Sunstreaker meanwhile looked utterly flummoxed that Lori was Ironhide's child.

"My mom is human, smart one!" Lori snapped.

"Don't yell at me, tiny," Sunstreaker replied sharply. "You look alike."

"Call me tiny one. More. Time." Lori growled.

"Mess with my daughter one. More. Time." Ironhide snarled as he shoved the twins into a wall.

"We hear you, 'Hide," Sideswipe said nervously.

"We won't mess with your daughter," Sunstreaker assured.

 _Elsewhere on the base…_

Two more occupants, one powerful and masculine, the other pink and feminine, exited from the crashed Autobot ship, having waited for the twins to clear the area. Jazz and Bumblebee were there to greet them.

"Well, nice to know the twins haven't changed," Jazz remarked sarcastically. "Anyway, Wheeljack, Elita One, how are you?" He courteously dipped his head to each respectively.

"We're doing fine, thank you," Elita replied. "Where is Optimus, may I ask?"

"He'll be back soon," Bumblebee answered. "He just had to smooth things over with the humans we're living with since your arrival was so unexpected."

"Couldn't be helped with the twins being a pain in the aft," Wheeljack said.

"How is Optimus?" Elita asked. "Is he still as stoic as ever?"

"Pretty much," Bumblebee replied.

"Why do you ask?" Jazz teased.

"I haven't seen Optimus in many years," Elita said. "I've missed his leadership."

"Hurry and get your checkup," Ironhide said to the twins. Lori had begun to laugh, but it turned into a coughing fit that wracked her body. Shadow curled around her in worry.

"You hooligans will need to wait until I'm finished with Lori," Ratchet snapped. "I have yet to understand what's made her so sick so suddenly."

"You're shivering again," Barricade muttered in concern.

"You don't say?" Lori replied in weak sarcasm. Ratchet activated his holoform and helped Barricade get Lori onto the bed. He also scanned her thoroughly, picking up everything wrong within her body. He found that her fever had spiked to a humanly lethal 112 degrees and was causing her to shiver again, her congestion had worsened, and her throat was more inflamed and irritated than earlier. He concluded that she had a severe case of the flu.

" _Everyone out!_ " he snapped in Cybertronian so as not to upset Lori. " _None of you are to even think about being around Lori. She is severely ill and doesn't need anyone to keep her from recovering._ Barricade, you can stay, but the rest of you need to leave." Nobody was going to argue with Ratchet, so they wandered out of medbay.

"Ratchet, what does Lori have?" Barricade asked softly as the medic laid ice packs on Lori's head and chest. Despite her shivering, she needed her fever brought down.

"She's got a nasty case of the flu," Ratchet replied softly. "She must have caught it while she was captive. I want her to recover as rapidly as possible, and that can't happen if everyone is pestering her. I've done what I can to help her, but time to recover is what she needs. I need you to give her anything she asks for."

"I can do that," Barricade borderline whispered as he took Lori's shivering, burning hot hand.

"My throat hurts," Lori croaked weakly.

"I'll go get you some ice water," Barricade said. He reluctantly let go of Lori's hand and ran to the mess hall to get water.

"Do you think I got this flu when I got kidnapped, Ratchet?" Lori asked weakly.

"That's my guess," Ratchet replied. "The Decepticon base probably wasn't very sanitary in human terms. You'll be fine, you just need to get it out of your system. Normally I'd say drink plenty of fluids and be active to sweat out the virus, but you're a little too weak for any activity. So just be sure to drink lots of water, because you'll stay sick longer while dehydrated."

"It's been years since I was this sick," Lori groaned. "I was bedridden for a damn week. My mom was worried into near madness."

"Well that shouldn't happen this time," Ratchet assured. "Hopefully you'll recover faster than a week."

"I hope so," Lori muttered as Barricade returned with a large glass of water. He helped her sit up and held the glass to her lips so she could drink, the concern never leaving his eyes as he held her burning form.

"You need to recover quickly so you can meet our new arrivals," Ratchet said gently.

"Sounds like a whole of fun just got here," Lori groaned. "Why did I have to get sick now…?"

"It can't be helped," Ratchet said in apology. "Just rest for now. If the base isn't still intact when you wake up… well… I'm going to kill the twins."

"I'll help you," Lori said, her eyes beginning to flicker. Barricade helped her lie back and Shadow tucked her in. He'd no sooner done so when Lori was out cold, her breathing having taken on a slight wheeze.

"That wheeze is worrying me," Barricade admitted. "Should she be wheezing like that?"

"It's normal for the flu since her respiratory system in congested," Ratchet explained.

"It's making me miserable seeing her so miserable," Barricade muttered.

"Don't worry, she'll get over it soon," Ratchet assured.

"I hope so…" Barricade muttered softly.

"I'll be across medbay if you need me," Ratchet said, and walked to workdesk.

At the crash site, Sideswipe waved to Wheeljack.

"Hey, guess what?" Sunstreaker asked them.

"Do tell," Elita replied.

"Ironhide has a kid!" Sideswipe said excitedly. "She's not feeling too well right now, but you have got to meet her."

"She's certainly something," Ironhide said as Optimus returned.

"Congrats, Ironhide," Elita said.

"A father, eh?" Wheeljack asked. "And your daughter. That must be fun."

"Yeah, well, a lot has happened on this planet," Ironhide said, putting a hand behind his neck.

"I'm sure it's been quite fun," Elita said. "It's wonderful to see you again, Optimus."

"I'm happy to see you too, Elita," Optimus replied, his tone professional.

"How have you been?" Elita asked.

"I've been just fine," Optimus answered. "How about you?"

"I've been missing your leadership" Elita replied. "And bored with Wheeljack. He's not the most entertaining in deep space."

"Hey, it's not my fault deep space is boring," Wheeljack protested.

To everyone's great surprise, Optimus actually chuckled. "I can only imagine how Jack entertains himself out there."

"I've missed that laugh," Elita said longingly.

"Wait, you've heard him laugh before?" Jazz asked in shock. "I've been trying to get him to laugh for centuries!"

"So what's this planet like?" Wheeljack asked.

"This planet has its own fair share of issues, but it a good planet nonetheless," Optimus answered. "The inhabitants are similar to us, just smaller."

"Also squishier," Jazz added. "There's a lot of fun stuff to do here though. Hide and I can show you, Jackie."

"First things first," Ironhide said. "You need alt modes. I'll help you pick one, Jackie. The twins somehow already have alt modes, so you're the last one, Elita."

"I'm sure Optimus can give me a tour," Elita said, her smile turning into a smirk.

"Ah, I'm sure Prime is too busy to-"

"I'm not busy," Optimus cut Sideswipe off.

"How wonderful," Elita replied, looking pleased.

"Well, that just leaves you, twins," Bumblebee said, inwardly curious since he knew how busy Optimus always was. "I'll give you guys the tour."

"So where are we going first?" Elita asked after Bumblebee and the twins left.

"I'll show you each hanger first," Optimus said. "After that I'll help you pick an Earth appropriate alt mode."

"I like the sound of that," Elita replied. "What do you think would suit me?"

"That's up to you," Optimus said kindly. "But if you really want my opinion, nothing on this military base that would suit you."

"No?" Elita asked. "I'm too… feminine?"

"That's, ah, not what I meant…" Optimus stammered, seemingly lost for words.

"I'm kidding, silly." Elita teased. She noticed how amused the others appeared to be at seeing Optimus this way, and muttered to him, "I believe I'm making you look less than professional around your team. Shall we start our tour?"

"Good idea, follow me," Optimus replied. He first led Elita to the hangar where all the missions began and were kept track of.

"Let's follow them!" Jazz whispered excitedly. Bumblebee and the twins nodded and went with Jazz.

Ironhide wasn't paying attention to the four, as he was staring in the direction of medbay and thinking about Lori.

"Worrying about your kid, Hide?" Wheeljack asked.

"Yeah," Ironhide admitted. "She's the reason why so much has changed here. It's also my fault for her condition right now. I failed to protect her. I failed as and Autobot and as her slagheap father."

"Bah, you're not a slagheap," Wheeljack assured. "You're a parent. Nobody said you had to be perfect at it. I'm sure she loves you no matter what, even when you make mistakes. How long has she known about us, anyway?"

"Only about a week," Ironhide said, "but she's taking it pretty well."

"She must be a lot like you," Wheeljack replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, she's very much like me," Ironhide said, laughing softly. "I can't wait for you to meet her. You two will get along just fine."

"I bet I will," Wheeljack replied.

"Well let's check out the base, eh?" Ironhide offered. Wheeljack agreed and Ironhide led him around.

"Wow, this is a pretty cool place," Wheeljack commented. "I'm impressed that nobody's in mass panic here. They just to us or something?"

"The humans on this base are used to us," Ironhide said. "Any other humans anywhere else would panic, hence why you need an Earth vehicle for an alt mode"

"Do they have sporty vehicles?" Wheeljack asked.

"You can look on the internet," Ironhide said.

"What's that?" Wheeljack asked, looking confused.

"Let me just show you," Ironhide answered. He led Wheeljack to a computer bank and introduced the Wrecker to the vast internet.

In the command hangar, Elita smiled in approval.

"This reminds me of the command decks back home," she said happily. "I love your sense of style."

"Well, it's been modified for the humans so they can work among us," Optimus explained. "We even train them to take down Decepticons with us. They're very impressive creatures."

"You still care about others before yourself," Elita said with a sigh and a smile. "Is that what it means to be a Prime?"

"Yes, that's exactly what it means," Optimus answered. He was reminded of how difficult it would be for him and Elita to have a relationship. He quickly showed her the rest of the base and introduced her to the internet so she could get more accustomed to Earth and select an alt mode. Elita's optics darkened as she felt troubled my Optimus's reply, but she still scrolled through the images to select a vehicle form she liked. Optimus watched her scroll the images, at first looking at the screen, but his optics slowly drifted to her frame and lingered there. Elita felt his gaze and smiled to herself as she decided on a sleek Ferrari.

"What do you think?" Elita asked, hiding a smug smile.

"Nice choice," Optimus answered. "Will you keep your color scheme?"

"If my colors make you happy, then yes," Elita answered smugly.

"The colors look good on you," Optimus said smoothly. "Not many can pull it off."

"That's very sweet of you to say, Optimus," Elita said sweetly. Optimus looked at her sheepishly.

In a corner concealed by heavy shadows, Jazz, Bumblebee, and the Lambo Twins watched and listened to the interaction between Elita and Optimus.

"This is getting good!" Jazz whispered.

"They're a thing?" Bumblebee asked, whispering as well.

"You look cute with that expression," Elita teased. Optimus looked away, feeling like he was a youngling again, but his gaze found its way back to her.

"You need to stop just being cute because you always look perfect," he said.

"I never pictured Optimus as a flirt," Sideswipe whispered.

"You think he'll make a move?" Sunstreaker asked.

"He won't, but Elita might," Jazz said.

"That's the sweetest thing I've heard from you since you became a Prime," Elita said. "I knew deep down you were still the cute, shy fellow I first met."

"I'm not as shy since I became a Prime," Optimus huffed. He smirked as he leaned close.

A small while later, Lori began to whimper "daddy" in her sleep. Barricade made an attempt to comfort her by taking her hand, but shivering, fever-hot fingers closed around his smaller hand in a death grip. Barricade tried to say "Call Ironhide," but his voice was up an octave and half the volume due to the intense pain. Naturally, since Ratchet was on the far side of medbay, he couldn't hear Barricade's cry for help.

"Ratchet…" Barricade tried to say louder. He had to choke back a pained yelp as Lori's death grip finally broke a bone in his hand.

"Yes-? Primus!" Ratchet yelped when he saw what was going on.

"Get Ironhide, and hurry," Barricade begged. "Her grip is cutting off my circulation…"

"Shadow, go find him!" Ratchet ordered. Shadow leapt up and ran out of medbay to search for Ironhide.

"Please help," Barricade asked weakly. "It hurts so much…"

"Ironhide!" Ratchet called from medbay, urgency in his voice. Optimus reeled back from Elita in surprise.

"I better go see what's going on," he said apologetically. In the shadowed corner, Jazz and the others collapsed on each other since they'd been in suspense in hopes of Optimus and Elita kissing, and cursed under their breath.

"Hurry back," Elita huffed.

"Wonder what the Hatchet needs?" Ironhide wondered aloud as he continued to lead Wheeljack around. Suddenly, Shadow came tearing down the hallway and barely managed to skid to a stop in front of Ironhide.

"Lori needs you!" he said frantically. "She was whimpering…" This was more than enough motivation for Ironhide to run right to medbay, and the second he was at Lori's bedside, his holoform was gently prying her hand open so Barricade could go free.

"Lori?" Ironhide asked in concern as he felt her still warn forehead. "What's wrong? I'm here…" Lori near instantly stopped whimpering and tightened her grip around her father's hand.

"I can't sleep without you close by," she admitted as her eyes, shining with tears, opened. "Please stay close…"

"I'm not going anywhere," Ironhide assured. He gently picked Lori up and cradled her in his arms. Lori curled up, and was contentedly asleep in minutes; her body stopped shivering, her fever dropped, and her breathing lost the slight wheeze, becoming steady and soft instead. Lori half smiled in her sleep, clearly comforted by being in her father's protective embrace.

Soon Optimus and Ratchet walked in.

"Tend to Barricade, Ratchet," Optimus said, noticing the ex-'Con's shaking hand.

"On it," Ratchet said as he activated his holoform. Optimus activated his holoform beside Lori as well.

"How's she doing?" he asked.

"She'll be all right," Ironhide answered softly. He sat down on a berth that backed up to a wall and leaned against the wall to get more comfortable. He soon fell asleep.

"Primus, I knew she had an iron grip, but that was a death grip," Barricade muttered as Ratchet gave him a dose of morphine. Optimus came over to check on Barricade.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Optimus," Barricade answered. "I'm a little surprised to have gotten my hand broken, but I know Lori didn't mean it."

"She's going to feel guilty about it when she wakes up, though," Ratchet said as he gently set the broken bones back into place.

"She needs to be more careful," Optimus said. "Well… now Wheeljack needs a new guide. Jazz and Bumblebee are still with the twins, so do you think you can show him the ropes after you're done with Barricade, Ratchet?"

"Fine," Ratchet said. Wheeljack hesitantly looked into medbay, and when he saw Ironhide holding Lori, he smiled gently.

"That's got to be the happiest thing I've seen in a long time," he muttered.

"She's been bringing out the best in us," Optimus said.

"I bet she's quite a force to be reckoned with when she's not ill," Wheeljack remarked.

"She's a force to be reckoned with when she's upset," Barricade replied. "She unintentionally broke my hand with her grip."

"Leading you around should be fun, Jackie," Ratchet joked as he put a small splint around Barricade's hand so it wouldn't be able to move. He then began to wrap Barricade's hand, still being gentle.

"At least she's –ow-calm again," Barricade with a pained smile.

"She a bit of a live wire?" Wheeljack asked.

"Ow! She can be, but for the most part she's pretty calm and collected," Barricade answered.

"Since I see things have calmed down and back in control, I'll be going," Optimus said.

"What a relief it is," Barricade muttered. He could see a different glow in Optimus's optics, but was smart enough to keep quiet about it, since he knew he often got that glow himself.

Outside of medbay, Optimus looked around for Elita, but happened across Jazz, Bumblebee, and the twins. The four were sneakily looking around the corner of the hall

"Ah! Hey Optimus!" they said as they fell over each other.

"What are you doing?" Optimus asked. He crossed is arms as he loomed over them.

"We were just showing the twins around," Jazz explained as he jumped up. He laughed nervously.

"Well, go show them the other side of the base, and now," Optimus said, and as they scrambled away, he muttered to himself, "Primus, I expect this kind of behavior from Jazz and the twins, but not from Bumblebee… they might be a bad influence on him…"

"Goodness, they were in a rush," Elita said with a giggle as she rounded the corner.

"I've missed that sound," Optimus said with a longing smile.

"And I've missed you more than your leadership," Elita said, returning the smile.

"There isn't one thing I haven't missed about you," Optimus replied as he closed the gap between them. "I've missed your smile, your laugh, and especially the way your face turns ever so slightly pouty when you're thinking really hard." His optics stayed with hers.

"I think I like this less-shy version of you," Elita teased as she gently held Optimus's hands.

"Less-shy comes with being a Prime," Optimus said with a small smile as he held her hands. "Among other things, such as responsibilities…" He started to pull away, his voice growing distant.

"You don't think we could make this work?" Elita asked. "Are you afraid of something?"

"I'm afraid for your safety," Optimus admitted as he held her hands tighter. "You'll be an instant high-value target now that I'm a Prime. I also… I, ah, can't focus when you're around me. Your presence, which I love being in, distracts me…" he looked sheepish again.

"I don't mind danger," Elita assured. "Let's make a deal… I won't distract you during the day, but when this planet's sun sets, all bets are off."

"Lita… I am not the same bot you went on a date with all those years ago," Optimus said as he held back a purr. "I don't know if you'd still want me."

"Playing hard to get?" Elita teased. "Now I want you even more. You might have grown up a little more, but you're still the ever adorable, sweet Orion Pax I knew."

"Can you handle me?" Optimus teased back.

"I think I can," Elita said with a pleased smirk. She suddenly pulled one of his arms up and spun him to pin his arm behind his back. "Do you think you can handle me?" Optimus smirked back and stepped backward until he had Elita pinned to the wall. Surprised, Elita let go of Optimus's hand, which allowed him turn around and pin her with the front of his body.

"I know I can handle you," he said playfully.

"I like that answer," Elita replied, not trying to wiggle free.

"There's something else I'm sure you'd like, but I feel like I need to take you on another date first," Optimus said.

"If you insist," Elita teased. "How about an evening drive?"

"Sure, let me clear my work schedule," Optimus replied.

"That's my Prime," Elita purred.


	13. Chapter 10: Calm, But Trouble Brewing

**A/N: Let's let everyone settle a bit, yes? But with some new drama brewing... Stay tuned!**

A little while later, after Barricade had gotten used to his bandaged hand, he was feeling restless.

"Hey, Shadow, let's go meet the new guys," he suggested softly so as not to wake Lori. Shadow hesitated, but then followed Barricade out, curious about those who had caused such a ruckus.

In the rec room, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe we getting their holoforms fitted out. Sideswipe had ginger hair done up in spikes, and Sunstreaker had blonde hair that was spiked as well. Both had the kind of build and tan one would find on a surfer.

"Hey, I'm sorry for Lo snapping at you earlier," Barricade said. "She's a lot nicer than that, I promise."

"Lori is very sweet," Shadow added.

"It's no problem- what the!" Sideswipe jumped when he really saw Shadow.

"Looks like that extinct Earth creature called a Velociraptor," Sunstreaker said.

"Shut up, Sunny," Sideswipe snapped. "It just surprised me, is all."

"Optimus brought me to life for Lori," Shadow said, now used to others being startled by him.

"He's her part-time pet, part-time guardian, and full-time companion," Barricade explained.

"Didn't realize Prime could do that," Sunstreaker muttered.

"Your voice sounds so familiar, why?" Sideswipe asked Barricade.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Barricade replied. The attractive holoforms trapped Barricade, leaving no option for escape.

"You ain't getting off the hook, human," Sideswipe sneered. "You'll find that we don't play nice."

"Why are your eyes red?" Sunstreaker demanded. "That's not a normal human eye color."

"Okay I'll tell you!" Barricade said frantically. "I'm an ex-'Con, but I've been changed by Lori. This is my permanent body now, since I almost died trying to protect her. Please don't hurt me, as I won't hurt you…"

"Didn't see that coming," Sideswipe admitted. "Welcome to the winning team! Even if you're a little fleshy now. So, which Con were you?"

"I'm Barricade."

"Oh yeah, I remember you,"Sunstreaker said. "Seems like we've missed out on a lot."

"You have no idea," Barricade said. "It's been la vida loca around here."

"Well it's gonna get even crazier now that we're here!" The twins were grinning almost evilly.

"I'm kind of afraid of that idea," Barricade muttered.

"I don't care so long as they don't bother Lori," Shadow said.

"Well we're not the only ones you need to worry about," Sunstreaker said. "We were followed by a Decepticon ship, and we don't know where it landed."

"We should probably let Prime know," Sideswipe added. "Except he's spending time with Elita right now..."

"Oh great..." Barricade muttered. "But we should think of some sort of plan. Lori is in more danger with more Decepticons around."

"They won't know about her til they contact Megatron," Sunstreaker said with a shrug.

"Good point," Barricade said. "I wish we could conceal her house from them, but they know where it is. She's going on tour, but months from now."

"A music girl, eh?" Sideswipe asked. "Nice."

"I'm sure a solution will present itself," Sunstreaker muttered.

"Lori's got an intoxicating voice," Barricade said. "But I do hope a solution is found soon."

"If you want that, you'll have to separate Prime and Elita," Sideswipe said with a smirk. "Prime hasn't done much since he reunited with her."

Barricade chuckled. "I noticed. I guess since Lori is here and technically safe, we can give them time to catch up."

"In that case, let's ditch this base and go exploring!" Sideswipe declared. He transformed an popped open his door. "Hop in, squishy." Barricade blushed, but got in. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker sped off the base, soldiers yelling after them.

"Primus!" Barricade cried. "You're going too fast!"

"No such thing!" Sideswipe said with a laugh.

"We are so gonna get pulled over," Barricade muttered to himself.

"If the human cops can catch us!" Sunstreaker said. The twins laughed in unison. Barricade buried his face in his hands, terrified.

Shadow eventually returned to medbay to be with Lori and Ironhide. He curled around the berth and used his radio to very softly play _I Don't Want to Miss a Thing_ by Aerosmith. Ratchet wanted to complain about the noise in his domain, but it was for the benefit of his patient. In fact, the music was soothing Lori so much so that Ratchet noted a slight decrease in her temperature. Lori herself was smiling and looked much more relaxed than earlier. Behind him, Alexa's ghost made a brief, flickering appearance, smiling warmly at the scene of father and daughter together. She vanished moments later.

Hours passed, and the twins finally returned to base. They ran through the front gate, nearly hitting Optimus and Elita, who happened to be walking by. Out of instinct, Optimus lifted Elita up bride-style, mere moment before the twins sped through the spot Elita had just been standing.

"Aren't you so sweet?" Elita said with a purr.

"I can be mean too," Optimus teased with a chuckle. Of course, he was in no rush to set his femme down.

"You wouldn't be mean to me, now would you?" Elita asked with a playful smirk.

"Maybe if you misbehaved," Optimus replied with a soft, slightly playful growl. He made no move to set her down yet. "You're quite light." He said in realization.

"Well I am somewhat smaller than you," Elita said with a giggle.

"Would you like me to set you down?" Optimus asked playfully.

Elita thought about it. "Hm, no I think I like being right here."

"If you'd wanted me to hold you, you needed only ask," Optimus said with a small laugh.

"Teasing you had been much more fun," Elita answered playfully.

"Teasing isn't very nice," Optimus said as he brought her close, but not close enough for their bodies to touch.

"Who said I had to be nice all the time?" Elita asked with a smirk.

"You don't have to be nice all the time," Optimus answered. "I'm just saying teasing isn't nice." This earned him a playful pout from Elita. Optimus smiled at her, then a thought occurred to him. Deciding to act he started to lean in... until a certain human turned the hall corner.

"Optimus Prime!"

Optimus reeled back in surprise. "Director Galloway, doing another surprise visit?" He tried to remain professional as he set Elita down.

"Yes," Galloway answered. "And it's a good thing I did since everyone here always fails to keep me in the loop." The man looked furious, yet pleased, as he gazed at Elita curiously.

"Hello," Elita greeted.

"I don't believe we've met yet," Galloway said. "You are?"

"My name is Elita One," Elita answered. "And you?"

"I'm Director Galloway," Galloway replied. "National Security Advisor to this great nation's president."

"Nice to meet you," Elita said.

"You're definitely new here," Galloway said, raising a brow. "Anyways, Optimus, since I'm here I'll need to do an inspection. If you're not too busy doing what I think it is you were doing, I need you to come with me."

Optimus fought an optic roll and remained professional. "Of course, Director. Elita, I'm sure you can find your way to medbay to see Ratchet for a checkup... just to make sure you didn't catch anything during your travels, you understand."

"Of course, Optimus," Elita replied with a smile. She turned to find her way around to medbay.

"Actually, I need to see your medic and ask him some questions, so we'll all go," Galloway said and moved to follow Elita.

( _Oh joy,_ ) Optimus muttered under his breath in Cybertronain.

[ _I take it he isn't very nice?_ ] Elita asked Optimus in Cybertronain and over comm-link.

[ _Not at all,_ ]Optimus replied in the comm-link.

[ _Such a shame that we have to deal with his unkindness,_ ]Elita said.

[ _He's not the only unkind human,_ ]Optimus said, [ _But we have to work with them nonetheless._ ]

"Am I interrupting something?" Galloway asked when he grew tired of their silent comm-link conversation.

"No," Optimus said normally and in English. "I was just explaining the layout of the base to Elita. She is very new here and doesn't yet know her way around." Galloway looked like he didn't believe that.

"This base has a nice layout, but I don't quite know my way around," Elita said. Optimus smiled since she was playing along; even after all the years of separation, they still made a great team.

In medbay, Lori awoke from her rather restful nap with a leisurely stretch and a yawn, but was still clearly ill. Ironhide had still been napping, but awoke when his daughter had begun to move.

"Thanks for staying with me, dad," Lori said as she woke. "I've never slept so well when I get sick."

"No problem, sweetheart," Ironhide replied as he stretched. "You call me whenever you need me. I'll come running."

"I'm glad I ran into you," Lori said after a small cough.

Ironhide chuckled. "Clumsy brat."

"Brats are spoiled," Lori pouted. "I'm not spoiled. I'm just lucky."

"Ha, you are spoiled!" Ironhide teased. "Well, with us anyway."

"Moi?" Lori asked with a smirk.

"Yes, you," Ironhide answered. He activated his holoform and tickled her. Lori yelped, squirmed, and laughed in a nasally fashion thanks to her congestion. Ratchet rolled his optics at the scene, but eventually butt in on them.

"How are you feeling, Lori?" He asked as he walked over.

"Much better than earlier, but I still have a headache," Lori answered breathlessly.

Ratchet scanned her to verify that, along with check her temperature. "Well, your temperature is down at least. Would you like to take some flu medicine?"

"That would be great," Lori said. "But don't you have to get it from the infirmary? I don't see you too willing to deal with Alex Woods. Ugh, I'm apt to kill that bastard after the way he treated you."

"I can deal with him no problem," Ratchet said.

"I wish I'd hit him harder," Lori muttered. "I slapped him so hard I made his neck pop."

"Exactly why I'm going to deal with him and not you," Ratchet said.

"Know me well enough, eh?" Lori asked with a smirk.

"It didn't take me long to figure you out," Ratchet answered. "I'll be back." With that, he left medbay.

"It's not like I hide my true self," Lori muttered proudly.

"That's my girl," Ironhide praised, then laughed and patted Lori's back. He looked over at Wheeljack and said, "You look bored, Jackie."

"Just waiting on our medic," Wheeljack replied. "But I'm happy he's taking great care of your kid. I can wait."

"My name is Lori," Lori told Wheeljack. "I prefer being called by called by my name. Only dad can call me kid."

"Yeah," Ironhide agreed with a prideful smile.

"Okay, Lori, I'll remember that," Wheeljack said respectfully.

"I feel lucky to be your kid," Lori told her father.

"You are lucky," Ironhide assured and hugged his daughter. Ratchet walked in then, looking slightly annoyed, but clearly in control of his mood and carrying a few bottles of human medicines. He came over to Lori with some Tylenol.

"Here you go, Lori," he said as he gave her a dose of the medicine.

"Thank you Ratchet," Lori said. "Mom made the right choice, dad."

"You think you're ready to meet the others, or not yet?" Ironhide asked cautiously, but his question was answered when Optimus, Elita, and Galloway walked in. "Never mind..."

"Ah, slag," Ratchet muttered softly.

"Guess I don't get a choice," Lori said. "I don't mind, though."

"By the look on Prime's face, the human in the tux isn't an enjoyable individual," Wheeljack whispered to Ironhide and Lori.

"You're probably right," Lori whispered in reply.

"He's a dick," Ironhide whispered sourly. Lori couldn't help but laugh.

"Hello, Ratchet," Elita greeted. "How have you been?"

"I've been good, Elita," Ratchet said. He was truly happy to see her, but seeing Galloway instantly dampened his mood. "What can I do for you?"

"I just need a checkup after my travels," Elita replied.

"Of course, right this way," Ratchet said, and led Elita to a more private area of medbay. He had her take a seat on a berth, then asked, "I hear you've been talking with Optimus?"

"Of course I have," Elita answered. "I've been catching up with him, having not had any contact with him for so many years."

"Uh huh," Ratchet said as he examined her. "And rekindling an old flame?"

"Rumors sure spread quickly," Elita said. "Optimus and I did date, but once, and it was many, many years ago."

"Rumors have nothing to do with it," Ratchet said. "Anyone can tell just by looking at you two."

"Is that so?" Elita asked with a giggle.

"Yes," Ratchet said with a smile. "Nobody's seen the side of Optimus you're bringing out."

"That's interesting to know," Elita said.

"You must be Lori," Galloway said, his attention drawn to her by her laughter.

"Who told you?" Lori asked defensively. She didn't like how he already knew her name, even though they'd never met.

"I know a lot of things about this base," Galloway replied. "Especially everything involving the Autobots. It's my job to know."

"Your job, huh?" Lori asked. "I expect you're pretty surprised by me?"

"At first I was," Galloway admitted. "But now I'm just confused. I'll need a word with your father and his leader."

"Fine," Ironhide growled, glaring at Galloway.

"You say anything derogatory to my dad and it'll be me you go through," Lori said, growling as well.

"Calm down, child, you've done nothing wrong," Galloway said, narrowing his eyes at her. Optimus fought a sigh. He knew Lori wouldn't take this well.

"I'm not a fuckin' child," Lori snapped. "I'm 23 yeas old. You're already pissing me off! At least my friends and family know how to treat me."

"In terms of experience and knowledge, you are a child," Galloway said, unaffected by her words.

"Director Galloway, how about we have that talk now while Ironhide and I aren't busy?" Optimus offered, preventing Lori from really losing her temper. Lori growled low and muttered to herself. Shadow got up and nuzzled her to calm her.

The three got into the hallway before Galloway asked, "So, Ironhide, what were you thinking when you conceived Lori?"

"Why the hell would you ask me that!?" Ironhide demanded. Optimus then understood why he was there. He'd need to prevent Ironhide from crushing Galloway.

"Did you know you could conceive a child with a human woman?" Galloway pressed on. "Did you even have feelings for this girl you knocked up and left? Or was she just a little 'fling' to satisfy your needs since there doesn't seem to be many females of your kind, although that appears to have recently changed-"

"Elita One has nothing to do with this," Optimus cut Galloway off aggressively.

"You wait your turn, Optimus," Galloway snapped. "You're another I need to have a word with, but right now I'm focused on your weapons specialist."

"What the hell does this have to do with national security!?" Ironhide asked angrily.

"Your personal lives can greatly affect this nation's security," Galloway said, "along with other things I'm not required to tell you. Now stop avoiding questions."

"This is bullsh-"

"Ironhide," Optimus said in a warning tone.

"I'm waiting," Galloway said with an annoyingly smug look on his face.

"You can keep waiting, you piece of s-"

"Ironhide!" Optimus snapped.

"We're going to have so much fun teasing him about it," Ratchet joked. "Although last time we messed with him, he lit us up with paintballs."

"Paintballs?" Elita asked. "Oh my."

Ratchet chuckled. "Yes. It was five against one and he still beat us." He looked towards the hallway, sighing since he could hear Ironhide's yelling.

"Optimus is very skilled under pressure," Elita muttered. "I can't imagine it took much to upset Ironhide."

"Of course it didn't," Ratchet muttered. They heard Lori telling Shadow how lucky Galloway was that she was sick or she'd be acting. "You check out, Elita. You're fine, but I suggest a decontamination bath to be completely sure. There's several dangerous things you can catch from space." Elita nodded and got up, and at the same time they could hear Lori getting up.

"That's it!" Lori snapped. Despite being ill, she stormed out of medbay and harshly lifted Galloway up by the collar. "You didn't listen, did you? Well listen to me now. Leave. My. Father. Alone." She roughly set him back down. Suddenly, Alexa appeared.

 _Don't you dare blame Ironhide for something that I assumed wouldn't happen,_ she said harshly. _And my daughter is none of your business. Leave my family alone, or you'll regret it!_ With that, she vanished.

Galloway was at first surprised by being manhandled by Lori, then he was shocked at seeing a ghost. "What the hell is going on?!"

"I love my family," Ironhide joked. Optimus sighed in frustration. The situation had gone terribly wrong, and now he was going to have to try to fix things, which likely meant kissing Galloway's ass. Things were already difficult with Ironhide, and now Lori was adding to it. She was too much like her father for her own good.

"What's wrong?" Lori sneered. "Don't you believe in ghosts?"

Galloway shook of surprise. "I assume that ghost was your mother? Well that's a new one for the books... anyway." He fixed his tie before continuing to speak, "If you ever touch me again I will have you arrested. Stay out of this, Lori, and take your pet with you. Ironhide, you're not off the hook yet, but get out of my sight for the time being as well. Optimus, a word." His tone was both angered and smug.

Optimus gave Lori and Ironhide a tired look before turning to Galloway. "Of course, but how about we go to the main hangar where we can speak eye to eye?" Galloway agreed and the two left.

"I don't like him," Shadow hissed.

"I don't think anyone likes him," Lori said. She suppressed a coughing fit.

"Nobody does, and he knows it," Ironhide said. "But we may have just gotten Optimus in a lot of trouble..."

"That may be all my fault," Lori muttered. "But I wasn't just going to stand by and let him trash talk you like that!"

"I have to put up with it," Ironhide said. "He could shut NEST down. Hell if he digs up enough, he could get us kicked off this planet. So that's why I _try_ to take it, but I always lose my temper..."

"We both lost our tempers," Lori replied. "I really didn't appreciate that threat... he and Alex Woods are on my shit list. I bet Galloway will be glad when I'm off on tour... oh shit... what if he tries to prevent that?" Oh, hell no. Lori was not letting that happen.

"How could he?" Ironhide asked.

"I don't know, not allow me off base, like, ever?" Lori said.

"If he did, I could sneak you off," Shadow said. "He doesn't know what I look like a vehicle. Cade and I could gather up all your gear if you wish."

"We can when it's convenient," Lori said. "As long as he doesn't take you away from me, I have no reason to tear him a new one."

"Galloway definitely could, but we won't let him," Ironhide assured. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm sure Optimus will come up with something."

"I want to get my guitar and play a little to calm down," Lori said, "but it's in medbay and I don't want to face off with a pissed off medic..."

"Let's go get it," Ironhide said.

"But Ratchet..." Lori muttered. Ironhide gave her a gentle, reassuring pat on the head and lead her to medbay. Lori hesitantly looked into medbay from the door and spotted her guitar on a low shelf. They were thinking of how to distract Ratchet when the twins drove up. They let Barricade out as they stopped.

"They're insane!" Barricade said.

"Can you distract Ratchet for us?" Ironhide asked the twins. Sunstreaker questioned while Sideswipe agreed and walked into medbay. He found Ratchet and began to pester the medic. Ratchet chased the red colored twin around and across the medbay. Lori took the chance and dashed into medbay, grabbed her guitar, and dashed back out. She coughed as she caught her breath.

"Another escape?" Barricade asked. "Lori, you'll never get over this flu..."

"Not if I stay in a good mood," Lori said. "Besides, you know music helps."

"That it does," Ironhide said, thinking of how quickly her mood had changed while playing music.

"Wow, this thing got dusty," Lori muttered. She blew off a good sized cloud of dust before tuning it and going into an acoustic version of _Hotel California_. Eventually, Lori hit a wrong note and grumbled sourly. "Such a pet peeve of mine..."

"I don't think it would have been noticed if you hadn't mentioned it," Barricade said in encouragement.

"Just play through it next time," Ironhide said. "Either way, it sounds wonderful to me." He meant it too.

"Thanks dad," Lori replied with a blush. He face didn't look as flushed with fever now. She picked up right where she left off.

In medbay, Ratchet eventually caught Sideswipe, scolded him for causing trouble, then gave him the same nature of checkup he'd given Elita. He caught Sunstreaker and did the same. When he finished with the Twins, he went to to see how Elita was faring. It just so happened she was finishing up from her decontamination bath.

"That was wonderfully refreshing," She told Ratchet.

"You should try a hot tub when you set up your holoform," Ratchet said. "Those feel wonderful. Anyway, you're fee to go now. I have Wheeljack to check over next." Elita thanked him and went on her way. Wheeljack, who was just hanging out in the main part of medbay, walked over to the medic.

"So it's my turn?" Wheeljack asked.

"Yes, so get in here," Ratchet said.

"So how have you been?" Wheeljack asked as he sat down.

"I've been just fine," Ratchet answered. He began to examine Wheeljack. "So, fun stories from space?"

"We were nearly blown by the twins for the umpteenth time," Wheeljack replied. "But that's no surprise, is it?"

"Sadly, no," Ratchet said with a chuckle, "bu I'm sure it was fun."

"They got Elita so angry that she swore at them," Wheeljack said. "Even I was startled!"

"I would have paid to see that," Ratchet replied, intrigued.

"She even scared me," Wheeljack admitted.

"What?" Ratchet asked teasingly. "You were scared?"

"In my defense, I thought she was gonna punch me," Wheeljack replied.

"She can't be that dangerous," Ratchet said. But he thought to himself, _Optimus wouldn't be attracted to some damsel in distress. He want someone who could take care of themselves too._

"She may look delicate, but she's tough," Wheeljack said. "I swear she's even stronger when she's angry."

"She's a femme, they're all stronger when angry," Ratchet said.

"True enough," Wheeljack said with a laugh. "It's nice to see her loosening up Prime. He's a good leader, but he's gotten a little too stiff."

"This war has changed us all," Ratchet said.

"I know," Wheeljack muttered. "Which reminds me, a Con ship tailed us here. I don't know where they landed, but we'll have to deal with them too."

"And you barely let us know now?" Ratchet asked.

"It's been really hectic since we got here," Wheeljack said. "I figured we'd let things smooth over a little before I dropped that news."

"We need to let Optimus know right away," Ratchet said.

"I know we do," Wheeljack replied, "but from the sounds of that yelling he's busy."

"What yelling?" Ratchet asked.

"It sounded like Optimus and Ironhide got into some sort of argument," Wheeljack answered. "It's stopped, but it didn't sound like they were in a good mood."

"That's because there's a certain individual around that nobody likes," Ratchet said. "Anyways, you can go decontaminate now."

"Thanks," Wheeljack replied. "I gotta say, 'Hide's daughter is something. I like her."

"She does have her way of growing on you," Ratchet said. "Now I need to go inform Prime, unless I send Elita. I'm sure she'd love an excuse to go talk to him."

"Yeah," Wheeljack agreed with a chuckle.

"I think I'll do that then," Ratchet said with a smirk. He escorted Wheeljack to where the decontamination baths were before looking for Elita.

"Oh, hello Ratchet," Elita greeted when he found her.

"Hey Elita," Ratchet replied. "I'm still working with the others, so I'll need you to tell Optimus about the Decepticon ship."

"Ah, of course," Elita answered. "I'm sure he'd rather hear it from me... oh, what's making that sound?" She was hearing Lori playing guitar in the distance.

"That would be Ironhide's daughter, Lori," Ratchet explained. "She's playing one of her instruments."

"I'm impressed," Elita remarked.

"That's merely half of her talent," Ratchet said. "You should meet her when you get the chance."

"I suppose I will after I speak with Optimus," Elita said.

"Alright, you do that," Ratchet said.

"Where is Optimus, by the way?" Elita asked.

"He'll be in the main hangar," Ratchet said. "You'll know it when you see it." Elita nodded and set off to find Optimus.

Speaking of Optimus, he was currently being rather productive. He'd gotten Galloway's mind off of Ironhide and Lori by distracting him with the rare opportunity of sharing some Cybertronain technology. Optimus really preferred not to since humans had a bad habit of using new technology for the wrong reasons, but he'd chosen something that was hopefully fairly harmless; he shared the technology of their space craft, thus allowing humans to better their own craft and other vehicles. Galloway looked very pleased at this and hurried off to give this information to the right people. Since Optimus was feeling so productive, he decided to call up General Morshower and certain NEST individuals to plan out a way to keep Lori's home safe.

When Elita walked in, Optimus was in a video call with General Morshower.

"Optimus, are you busy?" She asked softly. Everyone in the hangar, even General Morshower in the video screen looked over at Elita.

"Yes, but I suppose we could take a ten minute break," Optimus said. He nodded to the soldiers around him and they dispersed. "What do you need, Lita?"

"I meant to warn you earlier, but we were followed by a Decepticon ship," Elita said with little prelude. Optimus's only reaction was his optics ever so slightly widening.

"Thank you for telling me," Optimus said. "I needed this information, but do you have any more, like the ship's occupants?"

"We're not sure of the ship's location or how many were on board," Elita admitted. "But since they're not in the immediate area, I suppose that is good enough for now."

"I'll let the General know," Optimus said. "Thank you. Now, what shall we do with our little but of extra time?"

"Perhaps you could explain to me what a holoform is?" Elita requested.

"Of course." Optimus proceeded to show Elita how to produce and use a holoform.

"Ah, I understand now," Elita said. "How useful." She activated her own holoform; 6' 10", just the right mix of muscles and feminine curves, sapphire blue eyes, and short, curly blonde hair that faded to a pink ombre. She wore a pink tank top, light gray cargo pants, and black combat boots.

"You'll definitely be attracting humans," Optimus said, fighting off a nosebleed and the urge to let his holoform's eyes from wandering too much.

"Well pity for them," Elita said with a smirk. "I only have optics for you."

"Well good," Optimus replied, possessiveness in his tone. "Although I'd like to see anyone try to take you from me."

"That wouldn't bode well for anyone involved," Elita said, then stood on her tip toes to give Optimus a small kiss on the cheek. Optimus totally froze and began to blush brightly; none of his limbs would move and he felt sure that if someone were to poke him, he'd simply fall over. The soldiers in the hangar waiting on him couldn't help but chuckle, and even General Morshower, who was trying his best to look away to respect their privacy, was lightly laughing.

"That's not the reaction I was expecting," Elita admitted with a giggle.

"I think you broke him!" Epps joked.

Elita waved a hand in front of Optimus's face. "I might have." She giggled more.

Coming back to his senses, Optimus grabbed Elita and pulled her close. "If you're going to kiss me, you need to do it right." He then planted a sweet kiss on her lip plates. Naturally this got the soldiers rallied up. Elita went limp in his grip and kissed Optimus back happily. Optimus easily held her, lifting her slightly to get a better angle. He was showing her his dominance and making up for freezing.


	14. Chapter 11: Trouble and Fluff

**A/N: IT LIVES! Four months after snapping my drive clean apart at the connector, the story goes on! Big thanks to CyberNinjaPanda for proof reading and being the co writer to this epic! Be aware of cussing since Lori is a cusser.  
**

 **Onward!**

Elita wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. As much as he'd have preferred to continue, he gently broke the kiss.

"As much as I enjoy this, I still have work to do," he said apologetically. "We'll finish this later."

"All right," Elita agreed. "I'll be waiting." The soldiers cheered again, only to get a sideways glance from Optimus. Laughing, they scattered, leaving the Prime with General Morshower.

"Whenever you're ready," the General said respectfully.

"I'll go find Ironhide's daughter," Elita said, and made her way out. She gave the retreating soldiers a glare as she made her way into the hall.

Out in the hallway, Lori heard the cheers of the rallied up soldiers. "What's that about? Something happen to rally up the soldiers?" The notes of her guitar faded slowly.

"Something that has 'em scattering," Ironhide muttered, noticing the laughing soldiers vacating the main hangar.

"Must have been pretty good," Lori said around a small bout of coughing.

It was right then that Elita spotted Ironhide and Lori and headed in their direction.

"Lita, long time no see," Ironhide greeted.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Hide," Elita replied.

"So what was that commotion just now?" Ironhide asked.

"A long story to tell later," Elita answered as she activated her holoform. "Your daughter is quite beautiful, Ironhide, you must be very proud." Lori smiled and blushed.

"Of course I am, she's my whole world," Ironhide answered.

"Daddy, quit it!" Lori said, blushing more.

"Every father's duty," Elita said with a giggle, "to tease their children. It's wonderful to meet you, I'm Elita One."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lori," Lori replied.

"So is that the instrument I heard playing just now?" Elita asked, gesturing to Lori's guitar.

"Yeah," Lori replied. "Learned to play when I was ten."

"My daughter is very talented," Ironhide bragged. "She performs, she fights, and she can convert Cons! She's perfect, plus she inherited her daddy's good looks."

"I've got your temper too," Lori teased.

"Oh, but I'm sure you know how to wield that anger," Elita said.

"You bet," Lori answered.

"Don't forget her new pet," Ironhide said. Shadow puffed out his chest a bit and purred.

"I love Shadow," Lori said. "Optimus brought him to life for me and I can't thank him enough."

"A miracle of the Allspark," Elita said as she reached out to pet Shadow. The Raptor leaned into her hand and happily accepted.

"He's spoiled too," Ironhide muttered.

"But luckily not spoiled rotten," Lori said with a giggle. She got up and slung her guitar behind her back, stretching.

Suddenly, Ironhide activated his holoform and took Lori's guitar off her back. "Here, let me pop your back," He said as he passed the guitar to Elita.

Lori had been stiff, but relaxed as her stiff back was popped loose. "I've been needing that," Lori admitted with a slight purr and a deep, raspy breath.

"I'm here to take care of you any way I can," Ironhide assured. "Especially since your scrawny boyfriend probably has limited skills."

"True," Lori admitted. "He's not even that good at massages."

"I don't get what you see in him," Ironhide said as he rolled his eyes. "He's practically useless."

"He's a romantic," Lori defended. "So sweet and loving to me, he's great at cheering me up, and he just spoils me with gifts."

"But anyone can buy you things," Ironhide said.

"He knows when to buy stuff for me," Lori replied. "He's so good at making me feel better. The only other person who was so good at making me feel better was my grandpa..."

"You've never mentioned him before," Ironhide said, now curious.

"Mom didn't talk about him?" Lori asked in surprise. "She was an Army brat. It's why we ended up living here... but grandpa had a heart attack when I was ten. He died a decorated General."

"That's pretty impressive," Ironhide said.

"General Jonathan Azura," Lori said. "One tough sonofabitch, but a real teddy bear to me and mom. He even had an adorable nickname for me."

"That's right, Lollipop."

Lori froze. No...

"Evening, General Addison," Ironhide greeted, clearly oblivious.

"Look at her, all grown up," the newcomer said. "Also, Hide, my name isn't really Addison, it's Azura. I was just going by that alias til Lori learned the truth."

"Grandpa..." Lori's knees went slack.

"Damn, Lori, you've got relatives all over this base," Ironhide muttered as he kept her from going down.

"B-but I thought you were..."

"Dead?" Azura chuckled. "Lollipop, I'm a General, I gotta stay in the best shape possible. Heart attack was a bit of an extreme route, but I had to do it to keep you and your mama safe. I hated being away from you all these years but you've grown up into a beautiful young lady, sweetheart."

"Wait, you knew?" Lori asked.

"Long before you were born," Azura answered. "Your mama told me everything, and those damn Cons have been after you since you were born. It wasn't easy keeping under their radar when you were little, but it got much easier with you out on the road."

Ironhide listened sadly, guilty as hell about this. Lori had always been in danger for being his daughter, and he'd never even known. He was glad Lori had been reunited with her grandfather, but he needed to leave. He excused himself and went to the training room to unload his stress and regret.

"Ah, damn," Azura muttered. "I didn't mean to interrupt your father-daughter moment, but I think I've got it covered." He brought out an old video camera. Lori giggled, surprised he still had it. Azura scrolled through the videos, all of Lori as a little girl, and finally settled on one he knew would embarrass Lori.

"Is it common to record such simple life moments?" Elita asked in genuine curiosity.

"Best way to remember things," Azura said.

"A view into my wild childhood," Lori muttered. The group made their way to the training room.

Ironhide heard them walk in and looked over in annoyance.

"I thought I left you to catch up?" He asked in an aggressive tone, but looked curiously at the camera Azura held.

"I butt in on your time with Lori and I wanna make up for that," Azura explained. "I've got some perfect blackmail on Lori here from when she was little."

"Please General Addi- I mean Azura," Ironhide insisted. "Spend time with Lori. I'm sure she's seen enough of me lately." It was obvious he was trying to push everyone away since he was upset.

"She knows me far better than she knows you," Azura replied. "I'm glad you found out about her. Besides, you're family now, and I can't bear seeing family upset."

Ironhide visibly calmed as he sighed and knelt next to Azura. He reactivated his holoform as well. "Family, huh? Ask any of my 'family' here and they'll tell you I don't get along with others and that I'm a pain in the aft."

"Lori definitely got that from you," Azura teased, earning a blush from his granddaughter. Ironhide nodded with a chuckle. Azura then added, "I know all about her fighting. I didn't like it, but she gave her attackers what they were asking for. But, as a little girl, she was every bit as stubborn as her mama." Azura pressed a button on the camera and a video began to play. In it was Lori at about five or six, clad in only a pair of undies and running from Alexa, who has a frilly looking dress in hand. Lori can be heard yelling "I don't wanna!" as she runs, and Azura's chuckling in the background. Eventually Alexa catches Lori and the little girl sits on the couch, pouting. Ironhide sighed sadly, realizing all that he'd missed.

"Grandpa..." Lori whined.

"Lori sure was a fast one," Azura teased. "I wonder if you could have caught her. It took Lex an entire day to get any undies on Lori once!" Lori blushed more as Ironhide gave her a sideways glance.

"I was so sugar high in that video..." Lori muttered.

"If I had footage for every time your mama had to force you to get dressed, your daddy would think you were a loon," Azura said as he pulled Lori in for a hug.

"Careful, I'm still sick," Lori warned.

"I already knew she was a loon," Ironhide joked.

"I'm just weird!" Lori whined.

"Difference?" Ironhide asked teasingly.

"I'm not dangerously crazy," Lori said.

"But you're still our crazy girl," Azura said. "I felt so bad for Lex during Lori's teen years. She was so moody."

"Was not!" Lori protested.

"Still is," Ironhide teased. Lori pouted.

"They're your family," Elita cut in. "From what I've seen, it's natural for them to tease you. It just means they love you."

"Lita's right," Ironhide said, "I love you, sweetheart." He pulled Lori into a bear hug. Azura laughed warmly. Lori giggled while being constricted as Optimus walked in.

"Help..." Lori begged playfully.

"Prime," Ironhide greeted with a head bow, and let Lori go.

"Oh, Optimus, Lori's family is adorable," Elita said warmly.

"Ironhide, you have a quota to meet," Optimus reminded with a smile. "As for the General, I'm sorry, Lori, but I can't order him around."

"Course you can't," Azura joked, and pulled Lori into his own bear hug, and he even lifted her slightly.

"Army grip..." Lori wheezed.

Optimus had a curious look, but kept quiet. He still thought Azura was General Addison, and probably assumed the General knew Lori personally enough to be giving her such a hug. "Lori, come find me when you get a minute," he said.

"Yeah," Lori replied breathlessly. "When I get released."

"I'm not lettin' you go til you tell me how much you missed me," Azura threatened playfully.

"Grandpa, you know I did," Lori said. "I'm sure you saw my grades suffer. I missed our tussles."

"Is that so?" Azura asked, smirking. He suddenly pulled Lori to the floor and started tickling her. Lori squealed, around coughing, and laughed.

"Grandpa?" Optimus asked Ironhide softly. Ironhide explained what he'd learned before he left. Optimus nodded slowly in understanding.

"I wanted to keep my grandbaby safe without upsetting her," Azura explained. "She was so little when this got serious, but she's a tough one... with one weakness."

"And he's taking advantage of it!" Lori yelped.

"Oh, so she's ticklish?" Optimus asked with a smirk. "I'll remember that." He gave Elita a loving glance as he left as well. Lori gulped at that thought.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Azura assured.

"My family is nuts," Lori wheezed.

"Would you believe me if I told you that they all have a soft spot for you?" Azura asked.

"I don't believe that," Lori answered.

"Since you've been around, things have been a lot less uptight," Azura explained.

"It's not like I'm royalty or anything," Lori muttered, blushing.

"You're a miracle, honey," Azura said. "The last thing anyone wants is those damn, dirty 'Cons getting their claws on you."

"Well, they did have me for a little while," Lori said, remembering her kidnapping.

"I know, and we won't let it happen again," Azura assured. "I gotta say, I like what Optimus did with your truck."

"I love Shadow," Lori said. Shadow purred.

"I admit I'm a bit skeptical of you going back out on the road," Azura said. "The 'Cons know what Shadow looks like."

"We could buy an RV," Lori suggested. "We could put a new vinyl body wrap on it every month we're out on the road, and put cameras in and around it."

Azura stood up. "That could work. Now I have some paperwork to finish, Lollipop, so you can go find Optimus now. Stay out of trouble." He gave Lori a kiss of the forehead and left.

Lori got up and went looking for Optimus.

Optimus was doing paperwork at his desk in his own office. If there was one thing he liked the least about humans, it's the amount of paperwork they made him fill out. His door was always open in case anyone needed anything, but there had been times, namely when the twins and Jazz went racing down the halls, that he'd wanted to close the door for peace and quiet. He learned to just ignore the noise they made. At times, he could hear Ratchet's yelling from medbay, and that often put a smile on his face.

There was a soft tapping on his door frame. "Paperwork, huh?"

Optimus looked up and saw nobody before looking down to see Lori. "Yes, and a lot of it, especially concerning all the items put in place to protect your home, which happens to be what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You put stuff up to keep my house safe?" Lori was stunned. "Optimus... you're too kind. I was actually kinda getting used to staying here. As for mounds of paperwork, I can totally relate. I've had to sign hundreds of liability waivers for every venue I've been in since we're our own roadie crew, I've seen so many endorsement deals that we signed for gear discounts and so our roadie boxes are coated in logo sticker, and coming up soon is selling my soul- I mean signing my new contract." Lori grinned.

"At least that sounds somewhat fun," Optimus said amused.

"Causes hand cramps, but you can't get away from that," Lori replied.

Optimus softly smiled before proceeding. "Now, you said you were getting used to being here?" he asked back in business mode. "I thought you didn't want to move. I'd need to know right away if you've changed your mind, and then I'll have to hold another meeting, among other things."

"I'd much prefer my own home," Lori said. "With the band getting back together, it'll be much better staying in my house. We use my living room as a practice area."

"Keeping you home won't be a problem," Optimus assured. "It won't be as safe as here, but will be better protected."

"I...I can't thank you enough," Lori said gratefully. "I really appreciate this."

"It's my pleasure, Lori," Optimus said with a smile. "The last thing I want is you in the clutches of the Decepticons."

"I kinda doubt Ratch will let me go home til I'm better," Lori joked. "Though, speaking of which, I'm going to try to get some rest." She at first hesitated since she wanted to give Optimus a hug, but decided against it and left.

Not a minute later, Alexa's form, barely visible, appeared over Optimus's desk. She looked incredibly worried. Optimus reeled back in surprise, putting a hand over his chest to calm his spark. "Please don't do that," he muttered.

Alexa let out a small laugh. "Now you understand how Lori feels when you suddenly activate your holoforms... Now while I don't want my daughter in more trouble than she's already in, I need you to know that's she's in danger. She went by her house to get some fresh clothing, behind your back might I add, and Megatron was there to meet her. He's threatened her, and right now her safety is technically in her own hands. She was told that nobody could know, but I know you needed to know."

Optimus was stunned. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll do my best to keep her safe, but I need her to be completely honest with me from now on. I'll let her know you're watching over her."

"She knows I watch over her," Alexa said. "I never stopped. But you can't let her know that you know now. It could endanger her further."

"That complicates things," Optimus paused, thinking. "What did Megatron say to her?" He finally asked.

"He wants to know how she functions," Alexa explained. "He said he wouldn't harm her if she complied, but I don't trust him."

"You're right not to trust Decepticons," Optimus agreed.

Speaking of Decepticons, Megaton laughed to himself as he noted the measures Optimus had taken to protect Lori's home; NEST forces had been moved into all the surrounding houses, anti-aircraft missiles were hidden near the house, and a small hangar was built a small ways away so the Autobots would have more comfortable accommodations while posted at her house. Megatron was just waiting for Lori to get home since he wanted to see her again, but he decided to just entertain himself for the time being by torturing Blackout more because of the large con's failure to properly train his pet. The decepticon warlord watched Blackout hang limply from the ceiling. The helicopter 'Con looked terrible from the multiple beatings he'd endured, while Scorponok was forced to watch from where he was chained to the wall. Megatron grabbed Blackout by the chin. "I have a job for you," he growled.

"Are you sure he can handle this?" Starscream sneered. "After all, he is the cause of the hybrid's escape."

"Technically the fault lies with Scorponok," Megatron reminded as he released Blackout from his chain. "The mini-'Con stays chained up. As for you, Blackout, you will provide a nice distraction for the Autobots while we intercept the arriving Decepticon ship. While you're getting your aft handed to you, we'll bring our comrades to the safety of our base without worrying about being interrupted or followed. Understood?"

Blackout nodded weakly, shakily rising, and prepped for takeoff.

"Oh this'll be wonderful," Starscream jeered.

Blackout landed roughly at the fence line of the Autobot base, waiting for a good time to strike. Within the fence, Shadow was wandering around the base since he had nothing better to do. But the Raptor soon spotted Blackout and made to get attention of nearby soldiers with a series of short, bark-like roars. Several soldiers rushed to Shadow's side, Lennox among them.

"What's wrong, Shadow?" Lennox asked. Shadow hissed and looked in Blackout's direction. Lennox grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked at the beaten helicopter waiting outside the fence. He visibly paled when he realized who it was as memories of previous encounters with the decepticon surfaced.

"What should we do?" Shadow asked, his tail starting to lash.

"We need to warn the 'Bots," Lennox answered. "I just wonder what Blackout is waiting for..."

"I don't like him being out there," Shadow growled.

"Neither do I," Lennox muttered. "Shadow, you're the fastest. Go find the 'Bots and let them know what's going on."

"Can do," Shadow said, and dashed into the nearest hangar. Blackout saw this and transformed. The helicopter had planned on waiting longer, but having been spotted changed things. He started bombarding the base with explosives.

Inside the hangar, Shadow nearly crashed into Ironhide.

"Where's the fire?" Ironhide jokingly asked. Shadow hissed in annoyance. "Don't you hiss at me. What's going on?"

"Blackout was spotted outside!" Shadow said. Suddenly, the explosives that Blackout had sent out detonated.

"Go find Optimus!" Ironhide ordered. Shadow nodded and made a mad dash to Optimus's office, nearly tripping over Galloway en-route.

"Blackout's attacking!" Shadow yelped as he reached Optimus's office.

The Prime glanced at Shadow before focusing back on Alexa. "I'll make sure Lori doesn't find out that I know what's really going on," Optimus reassured her. "Now if you excuse me, I have a Decepticon to deal with. Thank you for informing me."

"This way!" Shadow ran back outside. Optimus followed, making sure to avoid the very annoyed looking Galloway.

By the time Optimus arrived outside, Shadow was already fighting with Blackout. "Wheeljack!" Optimus called. "Help Shadow! Surround the base, we can't let him get in!"

Wheeljack gladly assisted Shadow. Blackout defended himself, but his movements were slower due to his injuries. He coughed up a little energon when Shadow hit him hard enough. Despite that, he kept firing missiles and hitting the base in multiple places. It wasn't making sense why the helicopter was here on his own...

"Son of a... He's a distraction!" Wheeljack yelled.

"What?" Shadow barked.

"We got tailed by a 'Con ship on our way down here," Wheeljack explained. "Problem is, we don't know where it landed. I'm willing to bet that's where the other 'Cons are headed."

"So who's the motherfucker who interrupted my nap?" Came Lori's voice suddenly. The hybrid in question was walking outside, and she looked royally pissed off. She gave Shadow the go ahead to show no mercy. Shadow let out a shrieking, ear-piercing roar and leaped on Blackout, clawing and biting.

[He's scrambling the tracking signals!] A soldier told Optimus over their local comm. Link. [We can't pinpoint where the other Decepticons are headed!]

Blackout growled in pain, but eventually got a hold of Shadow and threw the Raptor into Wheeljack, causing both to tumble to the ground.

"Frag, you're heavy!" Wheeljack said, struggling to push Shadow off.

"Sorry!" Shadow promptly scrambled off Wheeljack. "I'll sniff the Cons out!" He rapidly transformed into his Ford Raptor mode and sped off, Wheeljack yelling after him to wait. Blackout slashed at Wheeljack while he was distracted.

"Shadow, don't go out there by yourself!" Ironhide called, but Shadow didn't slow. He and the twins gave chase, following the Raptor.

"Be careful!" Optimus called after them, and jumped outside the fence to fight Blackout.

Blackout was exhausted, but knew he couldn't let any Autobot leave. He detonated the multitude of explosive charges he'd managed to set around the area, hitting Ironhide and the twins. The tip of Shadow's tail was also caught in the blast, but the Raptor was fast enough to escape. Shadow slowed and gave a regretful whine before continuing on.

Back on base, Optimus was furious. Blackout might have been severely wounded, but the helicopter Decepticon had hurt four of his Autobots. Prime brought out his twin swords, and inwardly smirked at the sight of Blackout nervously starting to back away.

[ _Please tell me you guys are almost done,_ ] Blackout told Starscream over comm. link. [ _I can't hold the Autobots back much longer... I also think Prime may kill me..._ ]

[ _I suppose..._ ] Starscream grumbled on his end of the line. Suddenly there was crashing sound in the background. [ _You know what? Hurry back. A chance of redemption has presented itself._ ]

[ _Rodger that,_ ] Blackout replied. He transformed and flew off mere seconds before Optimus could reach him.

"Follow him!" Optimus ordered, and the others gave chase.

That crashing sound had been Shadow stumbling into the crater the landing ship had made. He'd overstepped, not seeing the cliff. He shook himself back to his senses, hissing at the Decepticons beginning to surround him.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Knockout sneered. Shadow roared at the Decepticon medic.

"An angry dinobot?" Breakdown shrugged.

"He's an opportunity," Megatron said with a dark smile.

"Don't touch me!" Shadow snarled as Knockout came closer.

"You're a tough one aren't you?" Knockout jeered as he grabbed the Raptor's chin. Shadow cried out for help just like the Raptors in _Jurassic Park 3_ did.

"Yelp all you want, nobody can hear you!" Starscream said. Bonecrusher and Brawl came over and easily held Shadow down. Breakdown even muzzled him so he could no longer cry out for help. But the Autobots, though still far, had heard Shadow's cries and were speeding in the direction it had come from. Shadow thrashed and clawed at his captors, hissing through his muzzle.

"Stop struggling!" Brawl snapped. He roughly struck the raptor's head. Shadow went limp, whimpering in pain.

[ _We need to get down there without them seeing us,_ ] Wheeljack said over the Autobot comm. line. [ _They might harm Shadow if we're spotted._ ]

[ _So it's a hostage situation,_ ] Sideswipe observed.

[ _I don't see Blackout,_ ] Sunstreaker warned.

[ _Scrap, that's bad,_ ] Ironhide said.

They watched as Blackout roughly landed beside Megatron. "The Autobots are here," he reported, pointing right where their enemy was gathered.

"Occupy them!" Megatron ordered. Knockout was busily working on getting scans of Shadow.

[ _Scrap!_ ] Wheeljack cursed.

"Make a move and I kill your pet," Megatron growled, and pointed his cannon at Shadow's head. Shadow started thrashing again, whimpering as loudly as he could. Optimus and the others froze, fearful for Shadow's life. Shadow braced himself for the fatal blow.

[Shadow, use your blasters!] Ironhide reminded over the comm. line.

Shadow rapidly got out his weapons and began to fire blindly. Brawl and Bonecrusher got the worst of the hits, and Blackout pulled Megatron behind him to protect his leader from damage, getting more injuries in the process. The Autobots began their move forward in attempt to rescue Shadow.

"I've had enough you difficult pest!" Knockout grumbled, and gave Shadow a strong dose of sedative. Shadow promptly went limp fully, and Knockout got as many detailed scan as he desired, and also did a few small examinations of Shadow's physique, noting down every observation he made. "A fascinating creature. Lord Megatron, I have gathered enough information to make some considerable progress. We don't need him anymore."

"Excellent," Megatron replied. He easily picked Shadow up and threw the dinobot at Optimus and Ironhide, both losing their footing upon impact. "Tell Lori I said hello!" The warlord taunted as he transformed and flew away. The other Decepticons used the cannons on the ship to keep the Autobots away as they made their escape.

"Is he hurt?" Wheeljack asked. Shadow slumped off Optimus and Ironhide, still unconscious.

"He'll live," Optimus answered. Ironhide was shaking with fury.

"He shouldn't have run off like that," Wheeljack said gently. "What's gotten into him?" He gingerly removed the muzzle from Shadow's snout.

"He doesn't know any better..." Ironhide muttered, gently petting Shadow. Optimus growled as the Decepticon ship flew away, and he wondered how many were on board.

"He was definitely brave, but he could have at least waited for us," Wheeljack said. "I'll take some time to teach him some stealth tactics, he could use a few tips." Ironhide carefully set Shadow in Optimus's trailer to take him home, having failed to stop the Decepticons.

"What happened?" Lori asked as they arrived back on base. "Is Shadow all right?"

"We failed, that's what happened!" Sideswipe growled. "Would've been great if your boyfriend's buddy hadn't distracted us!"

"Stop blaming Barricade!" Bumblebee defended angrily.

"Enough!" Optimus snapped, making everyone quiet down. "Ironhide, get Shadow to Ratchet. Sunstreaker, calm your brother down. Everyone else, help the humans get this base repaired." He ordered before taking a knee next to Lori. "Shadow is going to be fine. I just want Ratchet to take a look at his head injury. You should be there for him when he wakes up." He spoke softly.

"He wouldn't have gone if I'd told him to stay put," Lori muttered, looking like she was blaming herself. "I shouldn't have told him to attack..."

"Knowing him, he would have gone anyway," Optimus said gently. He activated his holoform and made Lori look him in he eyes. "It's okay. He's going to be just fine."

"Then why is he unconscious?" Lori asked.

"The Decepticons sedated him for unknown reasons," Optimus explained.

Lori's eyes began to glow and she spoke in Cybertronain. ( _When I see those fraggers again, they're paying for what they did to Shadow._ ) She gave a low growl.

Optimus dared to place a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, they will. But you need to be there for Shadow right now. He's going to need you when he wakes up."

Lori's eyes lost their glow and her voice went normal. "...Right." She then made her way back to medbay to see Shadow. Her knees buckled when she saw Shadow lying limply on a berth, but quickly composed herself. "... How is he?"

"He's fine," Ratchet answered. "Just knocked out. He got a small bump on his head, but it's not too serious."

"I wonder what they wanted with him," Lori muttered. Shadow shifted a bit as he came to, but the Raptor didn't realize he was was and began to panic. "Shadow! Shadow stop! You're safe!" Lori stroked his neck gently. Shadow froze, but then relaxed when he saw where he was.

"My head hurts..." he whined.

"You took a hard hit,"Ratchet said, "but I already gave you something that should help."

"I was stupid," Shadow muttered with a sigh.

"No, I shouldn't have told you to attack," Lori said. "I should have told you to stand down."

"Let this go, Shadow," Ironhide said as he walked in. "We all make mistakes. For the record, I would have done the same thing if I'd been closer. I gotta ask, you got any idea what they did to you? Like why they'd sedate you?"

"I don't know," Shadow muttered.

"Did you feel anything?" Lori asked.

"Not after that red one sedated me," Shadow answered. "But... They did muzzle me..." Shadow scratched at his nose lightly, running his claws over where the muzzle had rubbed his metal raw.

"Those 'Cons will pay!" Ironhide snapped, popping his knuckles.

"Why would they muzzle me?" Shadow asked.

"Well if I were a 'Con, I'd sedate you so you couldn't scratch or bite," Lori said. "You were blessed with nice, sharp claws and teeth."

Arriving at the new, secret Decepticon base, the new arrivals were finally able to breathe a sigh.

"That was hectic as ever," Breakdown muttered.

"At least Earth isn't boring," Slipstream, the lone seeker femme, said as she walked out of the ship and stretched her wings. Shockwave was silent as he exited the ship. Instead, he observed how Blackout struggled to transform and land, and wondered why the helicopter was in such a condition.

"We lack dull moments here," Starscream replied to Slipstream. "So, Knockout, what did you learn about Lori's pet?"

"He's not that complex at all," Knockout answered. "He'll be very easy to replicate once we get a hold of the proper basis vehicle. I've obtained detailed specs of the creature."

"This will be a simple task," Shockwave agreed, looking at holo specs Knockout had. Though out of the corner of his single optic he saw Blackout leaning heavily on the wall, exhausted and trying not to black out from the lack of strength and energon. "I'll get a start on this. I'll be waiting for you after you keep Blackout from bleeding out all over the floor."

"Of course," Knockout said. He got to Blackout and helped him to medbay where he started to patch the helicopter up.

"Don't patch him up too much, Knockout," Megatron ordered. "Just make sure he won't die. He is still being punished, although now his punishment is being added to since he failed to complete his mission of distracting the Autobots."

Brawl and Bonecrusher shared a confused looked. They knew that Blackout couldn't have carried out that mission by himself, especially not in his condition, but they didn't have the bravery to say anything. Though they knew if Barricade had still been with them, he'd have stuck up for Blackout.

"What did we miss?" Knockout asked. However, he didn't question Megatron and did his task.

"Long story short, Blackout's mini-'Con let Lori, Ironhide's half human daughter and Lord Megatron's prized prisoner, go free." Bonecrusher explained.

"There was a hybrid and I missed it?" Knockout cursed under his breath. Shockwave also looked fascinated by the idea of a hybrid.

"Don't worry, we'll have her in our grasp again soon enough," Megatron assured.

"I'll enjoy seeing what makes her tick," Knockout said with a dark chuckle.

A few hours later, Knockout was finishing the final details of their own Raptor, who they decided to name Whiplash. Whiplash looked virtually identical to Shadow, except he was olive drab instead of silver. His chest was opened, exposing his unlit spark.

"Wow, nice work!" Bonecrusher praised.

"Whiplash will be every bit as powerful as the original," Knockout declared. "Now for the final detail... starting his spark." Several Decepticons were quite curious how Knockout and Shockwave were going to do that, so stuck around to watch. Even Megatron was there to witness. Knockout picked up the Cybertronian equivalent of a defibrillator and powered it up. "Stand back, please." He built up the highest charge on the device and placed paddles on either side of Whiplash's spark. He then pressed a button on the device and a bright flash filled the room. Whiplash's body spasmed before stilling once again, but the monitor trained on him began to beep softly as light appeared on Whiplash's spark. "It's done. It'll take a few minutes for him to wake, so keep back. He'll be very disoriented when he opens his optics the first time." Knockout closed Whiplash's chest and backed away.

Megatron actually came closer. "Who is he programmed to listen to? Does he have any programming at all?"

"Any data found was deleted," Shockwave answered.

"He's a clean slate for your control." Knockout said proudly.

Whiplash started to stir, waking earlier than expected.

Megatron suddenly realized that he had no idea how to talk to a creature like Whiplash. Whiplash wasn't like any of his other soldiers, someone he could just order around. Megatron quickly grabbed Blackout and shoved the helicopter in front of Whiplash. "You talk to him. You know how to deal with these kinds of creatures since you have Scorponok. Get him to listen to me."

Stunned by the quick change of situation, Blackout rapidly composed himself. He knelt beside the berth Whiplash was on and asked, "Hello? Are you awake, Whiplash? Can you hear me?" He kept his voice gentle and kind. Whiplash's optic opened, revealing their rich red color. The Raptor looked up weakly.

"Who..." he coughed a bit. "Who's... there?"

"No one that wants to hurt you," Blackout assured softly. "I'm Blackout, and this is my Master, Megatron."

"It's good to meet you, Whiplash," Megatron said softly, unsure of what approach to take.

"Is he my Master too?" Whiplash asked.

"He's all our Master," Blackout said, gesturing to the other 'Cons nearby. "Don't worry, if you please him you'll get rewarded." He of course left out what happened if one displeased him...

Megatron knelt to be level with Whiplash and to pet the Raptor. "I'm sure you'll please me greatly. You're powerful and possess abilities that the rest of my soldiers do not possess." Whiplash purred softly at his touch.

"I'll do my best, Master," Whiplash said. He started to get up, but struggled since he didn't have full control of his body yet.

"Easy there," Blackout said. "Take your time getting used to yourself."

"Thank you, Blackout," Megatron said. "You can go back to your 'room' now." By room, Megatron meant the room he'd been beating Blackout in. Blackout's rotors went limp, but he did as he was told. "Knockout, Shockwave, make sure Whiplash get everything he needs. Help him as needed as well." Megatron wanted his newest asset well cared for.

"Of course, Lord Megatron," Knockout said. "Now Whiplash, I suggest you let us help you up this first time. You're not used to your body yet." Whiplash nodded. Shockwave looked on, clearly fascinated by Whiplash's creation and getting some ideas of his own. Knockout slowly helped whiplash up, making sure not to go too fast to prevent the Raptor from falling. Whiplash's long tail was swaying slowly to help him balance.

"He's like a giant puppy!" Bonecrusher said excitedly.

Brawl chuckled. "You're excited," he teased.

"I've been deprived, cut me some slack," Bonecrusher replied.

"Alright, now try taking a step," Knockout told Whiplash as he loosely held him up. "I'll still be able to catch you if you fall."

"He we go..." Whiplash muttered and slowly picked up a foot and moved it forward, but the step was heavy. "Oops..."

"No, that was very good," Knockout said. "Try again with your other foot." Whiplash took another heavy step. "Very good. Try walking to Bonecrusher." Whiplash nodded and started towards Bonecrusher with slow, heavy steps.

"There ya go, nice and easy," Bonecrusher encouraged, clearly having fun. Megatron watched curiously since this was a different side of his soldiers he wasn't used to seeing.

"I think I'm getting it," Whiplash said as his legs got stronger and his steps more confident. He was nearly fully upright, but a few feet from Bonecrusher, he stumbled with a startled yelp as he started to go down. Bonecrusher slid forward to the rescue and was on his knees to catch Whiplash.

"Whoa, easy there," the tan Decepticon said. "You almost made it! Try again, and this time go to Soundwave." He petted Whiplash as he helped the Raptor up.

"I'll try," Whiplash said and started to slowly walk to Soundwave, this time his steps lighter and softer.

"There ya go!" Bonecrusher encouraged. Whiplash made it to Soundwave successfully, and the communications expert took a knee to pet the Raptor.

"Very good, Whiplash," Soundwave said softly. Whiplash purred at the praise.

"I want him trained," Megatron said to Starscream. "I need him to be more ferocious than his counterpart, but do not mess with the relations he's forming with the others."

"Yes, sir," Starscream replied. "I'm quite fascinated by how he interacts with the others. Although, I do not have any experience with the behavior of the creature he is based on. Those have been extinct for millions of Earth years. But, I will teach him what we know."

Megatron growled softly. "Unfortunately, only Blackout has experience with large animal bots..."

"Whiplash seems to be interacting as we would with each other," Starscream observed as he watched Whiplash get to know the others. "I don't see why we need Blackout's help on this much at all. We should only ask Blackout for advice on how to train him, otherwise we can train him as any other Decepticon."

"This is why I keep you around," Megatron said with a smile.

"Hey Starscream, have something for us to scan?" Slipstream asked her seeker brother.

"Slipstream is right," Breakdown said. "We all need alt modes."

"See to that," Megatron ordered. "I have other plans to attend to..." meaning he was going off to harass Lori.

"Of course, of course," Starscream replied. "You do need disguises to blend in here. Humans have a nasty habit of shooting at us, the vile little creatures."

"Soundwave, I'll put you in charge of getting our new arrivals earth based vehicle modes," Megatron ordered. "You have better access to what this planet has to offer in that regard. Starscream and Knockout, I want you two overseeing Whiplash's training. Everyone else, report back to your duties."

"Yes, Lord Megatron," the Decepticons said in unison.

"What do you mean by vehicles?" Whiplash asked.

"A means of disguise," Knockout explained. "You already have a vehicle mode."

"I do?" Whiplash seemed so confused.

"Yes," Knockout replied.

"Like this," Bonecrusher said, and demonstrated his vehicle mode. Whiplash looked around a bit before taking on his sleek, olive drab Ford Raptor form, his engine rumbling deeply.

"Exactly," Starscream said. "Very good! You're learning so quickly."

Bonecrusher transformed again. "Makes sense he learns fast. Raptors are supposed to be freaking smart. I remember watching this older Earth movie and watching the Raptors work together to tear humans apart! Man, that was my favorite part!"

"What's a movie?" Whiplash's innocence was quite endearing to the Decepticons present.

"We should show him," Starscream said with a chuckle.

"We can't just show him one movie, he needs to see _all_ of them," Brawl said, crossing his arms.

"I'm down for a movie marathon," Bonecrusher said in agreement.

"Why not?" Starscream replied. "They're easy enough to download."

Megatron rolled his optics since he'd clearly lost control of the situation. Surprisingly, he found he didn't mind, and he was in a good mood. His army had grown and now they had a dinobot of their own. He decided to let his ranks have the day off, since he knew the Autobots weren't going anywhere anyway. Attacking them could wait another day. He retreated to his quarters to get a hold of Lori, looking for the answers he sought about her functionality as a hybrid.

 **Things are going to really heat up next chapter! Hopefully I'll be a bit faster next time in posting. Stay tuned!**


	15. Chapter 12: Ouch

**A/N: Short-ish chapter, and more time passed than I wanted, but enjoy this juicy bit of drama. Warning for some graphing description of injuries and plenty of strong swearing.**

M: :Better have some answers, my dear. I'm in a good mood and you won't want to mess it up.:

L: :WHAT THE HELL I WAS ASLEEP! I have the flu so I haven't been able to do anything lately. I can barely breathe even. My mind is all fucked up from meds, so no, I don't have answers. I'll get them when I recover.:

M: :How long will that take? I'm not known for my patience...:

L: :I'm not sure. Last time I had the flu, I was bedridden for a week. It was hell. Currently I still have a triple digit fever. I do hope this will pass sooner but I can't be certain since I keep escaping from medbay. Cut me some slack okay?:

M: :I could help you escape ;) You'd have fun with me I promise.:

L: :Hell. No. … Wait a minute. You said you didn't text!:

M: :I text... sometimes.:

L: :Oh, I remembered something now... my skeleton is metal, which is confusing since I recently broke my shoulder blade. How could I have broken metal?:

M: :I didn't know that happened. Come with me and we can figure it out. My medics and scientists are far more superior to that single Autobot medic.:

L: :You know what? No. You hurt Shadow and I'm very pissed about it. Besides, my shoulder is healed now. I heal rapidly, though it ends up leaving scars. Ever wonder about all my scars? I get into fights. I have a short temper.:

M: :I didn't hurt him. If anything I'm helping him. But I know about your fighting. You can fight me whenever you please ;) :

There was a delay of several minutes...

L: :Sorry about that. My former bandmate Marc called. The goof was drunk on champagne and proposed to me. ... I swear, if "fighting" has the dirty context you can fuck off. My poor virgin mentality! I'm a good girl... when I'm not pissed off. And you're starting to piss me off.:

M: :Virgin huh? ;) :

L: :Fuck off!:

M: :I'd love to know about this Marc character since he proposed to you. But come on, Lori, entertain me and come with me...:

L: :Keep wishing. I've got a headache now, thank you. It's good I'm lying down because I feel dizzy too. I even think my fever went up again. My human half can't handle the heat.:

M: :You're no fun. But I'll let this slide since you're not feeling well. You have a week, but by then I want answers.:

L: :Fine. Now I have to go. I've got a monitor on me and it just went into alarm, which means my fever is over 106. That's really bad BTW.:

M: :Sucks to be you. But I suppose I'll go now too. You're boring me. I'm sure Blackout could entertain me... I haven't punished him in a while.:

L: :That's cold:

M: :He has his minicon that let you free to thank. But I can be nice... sometimes.:

Lori sneezed so hard she sat up. "Ah, shit... meds must have worn off..." Ratchet looked over at her from across medbay and came over to check on her.

"Oh dear," he muttered as he felt her forehead, "You're burning up again. Your human medicine just isn't up to the task."

"I guess not..." Lori muttered threw her coughing.

"I'm sorry that I can only help so much," Ratchet said as he got her more medicine. "You're a very tricky case given your hybrid genetics."

"Yeah..." Lori said with a sigh. "It would really suck if any medicine really messed with me..."

"Exactly why I'm only helping you so much," Ratchet replied. "The best way to get rid of your illness would be to sweat it out. You need to be drinking lots of fluids, resting, and getting exercise when you feel strong enough."

"I was sleeping until Marc gave me a drunken call," Lori grumbled.

"If he had been here he'd have been arrested," Ratchet said. "There's a strict policy of not being under the influence on this base. Mainly since we're here, which I find odd."

"Probably because people do stupid things while drunk," Lori replied. "Like Marc just proposed to me in his drunken state."

"How would Cade react to that?" Ratchet asked.

"Probably laugh," Lori answered. "Marc won't remember anyway and he's gonna have an ugly hangover in the morning. I'd never cheat on Cade."

"That's a good quality," Ratchet said.

"Mom raised me to be a good girl," Lori muttered. "Anyway... I'm gonna try to go back to sleep. My head hurts."

"Good idea," Ratchet said gently and rubbed her head a little. "Get more rest, and I'll keep it down in here." He gave her the dose of medicine he had in hand.

"Thanks," Lori muttered as she laid back down and got comfy. She was fast asleep in minutes.

Shadow snorted softly and flicked his tail, accidentally agitating the small burn he had, which made him hiss quietly.

"I can fix that if you'd like," Ratchet muttered. "No need to act tough." Shadow nodded. Ratchet helped Shadow up on a berth and got to work fixing the minor burn.

"I guess I should count myself lucky I got away with such a minor injury," Shadow said, hissing softly as his tail was repaired.

"That's how every battle should be," Ratchet said. "You never know which battle will be your last."

"I realize that," Shadow replied. "Kind of ironic that Lori is down with the flu instead of an injury."

"I prefer the flu over injuries any day," Ratchet said. "Illness like that is preventable, but oh well, nothing we can do about it now." He finished treating Shadow's small wound and wrapped it to prevent infection.

"I guess not." Shadow yawned widely, showing off his rows of sharp teeth.

Ratchet chuckled. "You should rest too. You're young, and you need it."

"I don't really understand this whole 'age' thing since I was built," Shadow muttered.

"You're a complicated case," Ratchet said. "I'm not going to overthink it, since I don't fully understand how Optimus made you."

"Maybe he has some sort of power to do so?" Shadow asked.

"Who knows?" Ratchet answered. "Although if that's the case, he probably won't need Elita to produce offspring for him since he can apparently do so himself!" He meant that last bit as a joke and hoped nobody had heard him say that. Shadow gave an amused _chuff_ as he curled up to rest. Ratchet gave Shadow a good pet before setting a blanket over the Raptor. Shadow purred softly as he fell asleep.

A small while later, Cade walked into medbay holding a small box, but stopped when he realized Lori was asleep. Ratchet glanced over at him, wondering what the former 'Con was up to.

"Do you think she'll wake up if I try putting some jewelry on her?" Cade asked softly.

"You know her better than I do," Ratchet said with a shrug.

"Guess it won't hurt to try," Cade muttered. He quietly approached Lori's sleeping form, opening the box in his hands. He tenderly moved a bit of her frizzed hair aside, fully exposing her neck. He then pulled a pendant out the box; a stylized skeleton key encrusted with opals hung on a thin silver chain. He gently set the pendant on Lori's neck, taking great care not to wake her as he secured the clasp. He whispered, "I love you, Lori," as he quietly stepped back. "Phew, she didn't wake. But now she has the key to my hear- err, spark."

"Do I want to know what that means?" Ratchet asked.

Cade chuckled softly. "She's wearing the other half of a couples' jewelry set. I'm wearing the heart shaped locket, within which is a picture of her, and I just gave her the key that unlocks it."

"That's adorable," Ratchet said as he fought off a chuckle. "I don't understand how being in love makes a person act so odd." Inwardly, he wondered if he'd see Optimus get that way around Elita.

"It's impossible to understand," Cade replied. "But when you feel it, it's like heaven." Ratchet looked skeptical. "If it helps, family is just as confusing. I'm pretty sure Lori considers you part of her family since I can tell she trusts you with her care. Anyone else she'd be giving trouble."

"Makes my job easier," Ratchet said.

"How's she doing, by the way?" Cade asked. "I got caught up with the twins..."

"She's still fighting her flu," Ratchet answered, "but making a recovery." Just then, Lori sneezed and went into a coughing fit. She sat up as she coughed, covering her mouth and nose out of instinct. When the fit finally subsided, Lori didn't look happy.

"Ratch..." She muttered in annoyed tone. "Could I get some more tissue please?" She kept her hands where they were. Cade stepped back as Ratchet gathered some dampened wipes and went over to Lori and cleaned her up.

"Want some Sudafed?" He asked as he finished cleaning Lori's face and hands.

"Yes please," Lori replied.

"In the future, please don't use your hands when you sneeze or cough," Ratchet said as he went to grab the medicine. "You'll spread your illness easier."

"Sorry," Lori muttered as she was given a dose of medicine. "It's not like I had time to grab a tissue before I sneezed." She sighed. "I give up on trying to sleep... I'm just gonna keep getting woken by coughing or sneezing."

"What are you going to do then?" Ratchet asked.

"I don't know," Lori muttered, and then she noticed Cade. "Babe? What happened to you hand?"

"It's not your fault, but you hand my hand in a death grip," Cade explained. "It happened while you were partially asleep and got upset. I tried to comfort you by taking your hand, but your grip... kinda broke mine."

"Baby, I'm so sorry," Lori said, looking horrified.

"It's not your fault," Cade assured. "You were freaking out. You didn't mean it."

"I thought it was funny," Ironhide said from the doorway.

"Don't come out of nowhere like that!" Lori snapped around coughing. Her new necklace slid down her neck. "What the...?"

"Like it, babe?" Cade asked with a dorky smile.

"Where did you get this?" Lori asked.

"I saw it in a jewelry store a while back but never found the right time to give it to you," Cade explained. "Your key opens the locket I'm wearing."

"Your kid's boyfriend always like that?" Wheeljack asked Ironhide.

"Yeah..." Ironhide muttered with a facepalm. "It's annoying as hell and I can't even squish the guy."

Suddenly, Darlene came running into medbay. "Hey, Hide! You gotta check out this video from earlier!" She was holding out her phone.

Ironhide glanced down at her. "Video? It's not another one of those weird humor videos is it?"

"In her defense, some of those were actually funny," Ratchet said.

"But what I have is better!" Darlene said with a wild grin. She showed the the video, which was footage of earlier in the main hangar, of Optimus and Elita kissing.

"Damn, our boy ain't wastin no time!" Ironhide said as he and Ratchet watched the video, jaws dropped.

"Where's Jazz and the Twins? They gotta see this! You seeing this, Lori?" Darlene ran over to Lori to show her.

Lori gave a wheezing laugh. "No way! I didn't think he was capable of kissing!" Ironhide and Ratchet were both laughing hard.

Wheeljack was laughing as well, but then looked down the hallway. "Ah, scrap. Guys, quiet down, Optimus is coming!"

"Frag!"

Everyone did their best to hush up before Optimus came in, but Optimus knew something was up when he walked in. Everyone had a bad case of giggles and couldn't look at him without giggling more.

"It's not mean laughter, I swear!" Lori said around giggling and coughing.

"Should I give ourselves up?" Darlene asked.

"Frag that, I don't wanna die," Ironhide said. Optimus swayed a little on his feet.

"What are we talking about?" Jazz asked as he walked in with the twins and Bumblebee. "Were you having a party?"

Bumblebee faked a gasp. "And we weren't invited?"

"We're missing Elita if this is a party," Sideswipe muttered. "Wonder where she is?" Lori and Darlene were snickering, trying not to burst out laughing. Optimus was far too patient to get annoyed, but he was rather unhappy nobody was saying anything.

"I wanna know what's so funny," Jazz said with a pout. "Come on, share the joke."

Bee seemed to realize what was going on. "Jazz, I think it has to do with Prime..."

"Now I really wanna know!" Jazz said.

In the end, Darlene had exposed that someone had sent her footage of Optimus and Elita kissing in the main hangar. A round of harmless, amused giggling went around, rather annoying Optimus, but Elita had come in and made sure he wasn't too humiliated. Optimus requested Lori's company, only after everyone quit acting so childish. Before he could get too upset, he left to complete more paperwork. After Optimus left, the group re-watched the video, amused and proud Optimus finally got himself someone who clearly loved him. Lori feared Optimus was upset at her, but her father assured her she was fine.

"You know, dad and I did overhear the ruckus of that," Lori said, giggling.

"And you didn't investigate?" Jazz asked.

"Not with Elita around giving that femme glare," Ironhide answered.

"Yikes," Sunstreaker muttered.

"Not that glare," Sideswipe added.

"What glare?" Elita asked, happening to be using said dreaded glare.

All the mechs in the room flinched. "That glare!"

Lori laughed. "Talk about girl power."

"Luckily the Lambo Twins know not to get on my nerves," Elita said.

"Who don't they annoy?" Ratchet asked. The twins, being the comedians they prided themselves on being, sidled up to Ratchet and had the bravery to give the medic a quick peck on each cheek plate before taking off at maximum speed, as Ratchet was right behind them, unloading curses in every language imaginable and waving his wrench at them. The little escapade got all three of them chased off the base, and soon the Twins comm called Jazz and Bumblebee for backup. No sooner had Jazz and Bee left than Ratchet called Wheeljack and Ironhide to be his backup.

"Shall we?" Ironhide asked Wheeljack.

"Let's go," Wheeljack answered with a chuckle.

"Aww, and I'm stuck here with this stupid flu!" Lori whined.

"I'll tell you all about it when we get back," Ironhide assured as he left with Wheeljack.

"It better be good!" Lori yelled after them, which triggered a coughing fit.

Not five minutes later, there seemed to be an earthquake. It was nothing major, but enough to be felt.

Elita sighed. "Mechs..."

"Guys are the same in any species," Lori muttered.

"Troublemakers," Lori and Elita said at the same time, giggling.

Suddenly, they could hear hurried footsteps followed by "Just find one of the 'Bots and hurry!"

Elita stepped into the hallway. "What's going on?"

Lori let out an exasperated sigh. "Why must there always be something wrong...?"

"We dropped a building on Optimus!" One of the soldiers replied frantically. "He was helping us move the hangar, and the next thing we know, it just collapses! He's in the rubble, conscious but barely!" He looked shaken, and almost afraid of Elita lashing out at him. Lori gasped in horror. Elita immediately comm called Ratchet, explaining the situation, but got static.

"I can't seem to reach our medic," Elita said in a frustrated, worried tone.

"The comm links are down," another soldier said, looking just as frantic. "The collapsed hangar fell into the building where all that equipment was!"

"We can't get the hangar rubble off him!" A third frantic soldier added. Elita promptly ran outside to help Optimus.

"Let me try calling my dad!" Lori said, getting out her phone. Se dialed the number he'd given her when they'd first met. She was met with voicemail, but a text came a few seconds later.

:What? Kind of busy right now.:

:You have to come back! A hangar collapsed on Optimus! He's hurt!: Lori replied as fast as she could possibly text.

No reply came.

:You better be on your way!: Lori texted, low key annoyed with the lack of reply. "Shadow! Wake up!"

Shadow gave a startled snort. "What?"

"Go help Optimus," Lori replied. "A hangar collapsed on him and he's hurt!" That got Shadow up right away and the Raptor rushed out to help him. :You seriously need to hurry!:

Outside, the devastation on and around Optimus was severe; Elita could see that Optimus had a leg, arm, and most of his chest pinned. His head was up as he tried to push rubble off of him, but it wouldn't move.

"What happened?" Elita asked as she tried to move rubble herself.

Optimus looked exhausted. "I figured I'd help the humans with this hangar before I disappeared into my paperwork, and well... I'm not sure what made the hangar collapse, but it did. I held it up long enough for the humans to escape before it fully gave way.." He sighed tiredly, no longer trying to move the rubble off him.

"We could feel the ground shake from medbay," Elita said, struggling to push the rubble.

"Don't bother," Optimus said softly.

"Don't say that!" Elita said in worry. Just in time, Shadow came running out and clamped his jaws down on the rubble. Slowly, Elita and Shadow made progress. Optimus looked at their effort, his expression unmotivated and weary. Nevertheless, he used his free arm to help them push the heavy chunk of rubble off his chest. It had been uncomfortable, but made him feel secure. Shadow snarled as he dragged the rubble away.

"I hope Ratchet is on his way..." Elita muttered.

Optimus didn't seem all that interested in getting free, but with the three of them pulling, soon the large chunk of rubble was pulled away from his chest and cast aside. Optimus's chest was scratched up and dented, but it wasn't life threatening. His arm and leg were still pinned under three different pieces of rubble, but when Optimus tried to pull free, he hurt his shoulder and gave a nasty growl. Elita and Shadow flinched, but continued to move rubble away until Optimus was free. He was slow to rise to his feet.

Elita got to his side to help him up. "Optimus, what's wrong? You don't seem like yourself." Shadow whined beside her, worried about Optimus as well. The Prime had a look that said he wanted to talk to her, but he was hesitant with all the humans around. Instead he gave Shadow a gentle pat on the head and praised the Raptor for his help.

:Why aren't you answering me!? Where are you!?: Lori demanded in her text window.

Ironhide saw he had texts from Lori, but he couldn't read them since the Twins had hit him with some nature of goo that covered his optics. Their laughter was getting him angry as he blindly fought them. The mini fight they were waging was getting more and more intense.

:If it's the Twins bothering you, ignore them! Seriously!: Lori knew there wasn't time for their bullshit right now.

"Damn it to hell, why isn't he answering!?" Lori asked herself. She decided to run outside to see if Optimus was okay. Galloway happened to be out in the hallway at the time, and she vaulted herself over him, pushing him to the floor in the process. When she found them, she said, "Are you all right? I feared the worst when I heard about the hangar collapse..."

Optimus's smile was soft as he looked down at her, doing his best to reassure her. "I'll live, so no need to worry." But his smile fell as he caught sight of Galloway storming outside, glasses askew, looking pissed off.

"I demand and explanation! Now!" Galloway straightened his tie angrily. Several people hurried over to Galloway to explain the situation, but the angered man started to blame Optimus since the Autobot leader should have been able to prevent the hangar from collapsing.

Lori rounded on Galloway, growling. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you!? That hangar collapsed _onto_ him! They're not fit for shit! Optimus could have _died_ and would you have cared!? I fucking doubt it! Don't think I won't hesitate to shove you aside again. _Fuck off_!" Her eyes took on the solid blue glow they got when she was angry. Optimus's holoform appeared between the two, facing Lori, and it wasn't a pretty sight; his right arm and leg were bloodied, the uniform around them shredded, his top was torn and chest bruised, and there was a small gash going across his head as well.

( _Please, let me handle this,_ ) he asked her gently in Cybertronian.

( _No!_ ) Lori snapped. ( _It's his fault you're at such a decrepit base! He should have let you stay somewhere with proper accommodations!_ )

( _Stand down, Lori,_ ) Optimus said with a more stern tone. ( _I will deal with Galloway._ ) He was hurting since he was now up and moving, and Lori's stubbornness was not helping.

( _He's a fragging jerk!_ ) Lori growled, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. ( _He doesn't deserve to order you around!_ )

"Why don't you let me handle him?" Elita asked gently. "You're injured and should rest, Optimus." Shadow hissed at Galloway.

"Some one had better give me answers," Galloway demanded before looking at Shadow. "And muzzle that thing!" Shadow whined and ran off, not wanting to be muzzled again.

Optimus brought Lori closer to him with his good arm. ( _Lori, there is no need for tears._ ) He held her close, shielding her from view, knowing she wouldn't want anyone to see her so upset. He looked to Elita. "He's very difficult to deal with. Please be careful what you say to him. I'll be right back." He was stroking Lori's head gently as he worked on leading her back to medbay.

"I'll do my best," Elita assured. She looked at Galloway. "While I'm inexperienced with speaking to you, I'm confused as to why you find the need to be so harsh. I don't see a need for it, sir."

"It's simple," Galloway said. "I don't like your kind and want you all gone."

Elita gave a tired sigh. "We never wanted this war to happen. Our home used to be peaceful until Megatron became power-hungry. We're doing what we can to protect you from him, but it's not easy when there's the possibility of this base falling to the ground."

"Megatron is not my problem," Galloway said. "You're the reason he's still on Earth."

"That wasn't originally the case," Elita said. "Well, I suppose it is now. But what is your plan with Lori? We couldn't leave with her, her human half couldn't breathe in space. You can't possibly just cast her out, and leave her to die." Shadow returned to Elita and cowered behind her, whining. Elita knelt and petted him. "And what about Shadow here? He was built on this planet. You also said you wanted to muzzle him, why? He's not harmed you has he?"

"Lori is a special case I will need to talk to my supervisors about." Galloway glared at Shadow. "As for that thing, it's a loose cannon that runs the halls as if crazed. It should be muzzled."

Elita held Shadow close. " _He_ listens to Lori's orders exclusively. Perhaps if you were kinda she'd tell him not to roar or hiss at you. At this point he's afraid of you for wanting to muzzle him."

"If I had my way you'd all be muzzled and studied," Galloway said. "Why am I even talking to you? You don't have what I want...unless you do?"

"That depends on what you'd like to know," Elita said. "Shadow, go find Lori, okay? I'll deal with this bully." Shadow got up, but didn't run away. Instead he walked away slowly, tail between his legs, looking back every now and then to ensure he wasn't being followed.

"The Twins are so dead when they return," Lori mumbled to herself sadly.

Optimus chuckled lightly, though it hurt to laugh. "I'm sure they'll get what's coming to them, now come on, let's get you away from this all." Even though he was leading her away, tears continued to stream down Lori's face.

"O-Optimus I'm s-so s-sorry..." she whimpered.

"It's not your fault," Optimus assured gently. "It's all right, Lori. Please don't cry." His voice was so gentle despite the pain he was in. He managed to wipe some of her tears away.

"It n-not that," Lori said, coughing a bit. "I've been s-selfish, dishonest, a-and downright s-stupid..." Optimus guessed at what she was implying, despite the fact he technically wasn't supposed to know. He easily swept Lori up into his good arm.

"Come now, you little Blue Flame," he purred. "There's nothing you could have done that is so bad. You are far from selfish, and you have such a big heart, perhaps even too big for how dedicated you are. And you have done nothing stupid, trust me." He decided to not take her to medbay, instead taking her into the empty human rec room. He set her on the couch and grabbed a blanket, wrapping her up before she could protest. He then put a movie on and settled beside her to make sure she was comfortable.

Lori smiled sadly. "Thank you... now where did Shadow get off to?"

"I can go find him if you like," Optimus offered. "And you know you can talk to me, right? About anything, even of you think you shouldn't." He continued to comfort Lori, not liking seeing her so sad. He had her leaning on his left side since his right was still hurt, even though he was already starting to heal.

"I promise not to be dishonest with you, Optimus," Lori muttered, having calmed a little. Optimus wanted to ask her what she meant, but decided against it. Instead he moved her hair out of her face and pulled her into a side hug. Shadow entered the room and curled around the couch. "I won't let that awful man hurt you, Shadow."

"I won't let him hurt anyone," Optimus said with a light growl, but it soon subsided. "Will you be alright in here? It's more comfortable than medbay, and I believe there's a game console somewhere. But I need to get Elita away from Galloway."

"I'll be fine," Lori assured. "I've got Shadow curled around me, I should be safe." Optimus smiled before deactivating his holoform.

 **Stay tuned! Galloway won't get away with being a jerkface.**


	16. Chapter 13: No Fools Here

**A/N: The story still lives! Just been majorly busy with college and being an adult. Anyway, as you can see, Lori may be terribly ill but she has her good days, and clearly it's going to lead her into trouble...**

Galloway smiled, sensing an opportunity. "I want to know all about your weapons and technology."

Elita looked rather un-amused. "Do you take me for a fool? I won't tell you that. I don't know you well enough and you have yet to earn my trust."

"Then you're useless to me unless you can give me what I need," Galloway said, mirroring Elita's expression.

"What would you use our technology for?" Elita asked in a serious tone.

"To better Earth's technology of course," Galloway answered. "Your species is far ahead of mine, it could greatly help my own kind."

"Well maybe if you were less hostile, we'd be a bit more willing to share," Elita said.

Optimus walked up from behind her, making sure not to look at her frame, and took a knee next to Galloway. "Director Galloway, I need you to leave my warrior alone," he said in a threateningly calm manner. "You may question me all you like, but do not bother my people."

Galloway looked intimidated, able to tell Optimus was holding back a lot of anger. "I'll be back in a week," the Director said. "By then I expect that hangar to be repaired." He then curtly dismissed himself.

Elita sighed. "Most of the soldiers are kinder than he is."

"There are always those few that are as hostile as Galloway," Optimus said as he shakily stood up.

"Not so different than pre-war Cybertron," Elita muttered as she helped steady Optimus.

He caressed her worried face as they walked. Elita purred softly, but soon Optimus's hand fell. "The soldiers see me differently," he said quietly.

"They don't know the side of you I see," Elita said sweetly. "But what little they glimpsed, I think they enjoyed."

"How can you be so sure?" Optimus asked. "They were laughing..." he felt rather embarrassed about the incident.

"You're our leader and our friend," Elita assured. "They would never think any less of you. Besides, that laughter was not at you, but rather with you. They cheered because they want you to be happy, as do we all."

"I fear they will question my liability," Optimus said. "I have never failed to remain professional around them in the past."

"One moment of showing your feelings will not mar your reputation," Elita comforted. "If anything, it assures everyone that you've still got a warm, loving spirit."

Optimus pondered on her words for a moment. "In that case, I should call the others back to base. Although, I was enjoying the time to ourselves." His optics glimmered a little.

A soldier from earlier walked up. "The comm lines are still down from the hangar collapse. Unless there's another way to get a hold of the others? Ironhide's kid and your partner tried to call them earlier."

"A flare should suffice," Optimus said as he looked down at the human. "They won't know what it's for, but it should bring them right back."

"Great idea, sir," the soldier said with an enthusiastic salute. He ran off to grab a flare gun.

Optimus smiled to himself as the flare was fired. As suspected, it brought everyone back right away, and they screeched to a halt at the sight of the collapsed building.

"What happened?" Bumblebee asked. Ironhide was silently cursing himself as he looked over the messages he had from Lori. Ratchet paid no mind to the ground damage as he assessed Optimus's wounds, grumbling about why he should have been called sooner. The Lambo Twins were trying not to giggle at Optimus and Elita together.

"I suggest you hide," Wheeljack recommended to the twins. "Either Ratchet will kill you, or Lori will."

Sideswipe crossed his arms confidently as his hips swayed a little to the side. "The doc's too busy with lover boy and the spitfire is nowhere to be seen."

"Besides, if we hide we might run into her," Sunstreaker added. "There's strength in numbers, so we'll stay out here with you."

"Well, if you were to hide, I'd suggest the humans' rec room," Wheeljack shrugged. "Lori's probably asleep in medbay by now."

"The humans have one of those!?" Sideswipe's optics lit up with excitement. "Cool! Let's check it out bro!"

"Did you not hear what I just- hey?!" It was no use as Sunstreaker was dragged away by his twin.

"Where is Lori, anyway?" Ironhide asked after they were gone.

"Galloway upset her considerably and Optimus took her back inside," Elita explained. "Although, I'm not exactly sure where."

"I'm sure I'll find her one way or another," Ironhide said with a shrug. Suddenly, they could hear the startled screams of the twins from the rec room.

"You two better have a damned good explanation!" Lori snapped, getting up from the couch.

"Explanation for what!?" Sideswipe demanded. "What did we do wrong?" Sunstreaker hid behind his brother, not wanting to get his paint scratched.

"If your bullshit hadn't gotten you all chased off base, Optimus could have been helped sooner!" Lori growled. "Not five minutes after you were gone, a hangar collapsed on him."

"Oh boo hoo," Sideswipe said as he activated his holoform. "He's a tough mofo, I'm sure he's fine. How the heck were we supposed to know a hangar was gonna fall? That's not our fault." Sunstreaker activated his holoform as well, in case he needed to defend his brother. In a flash, Lori's hands were on their necks.

"You ever piss Ratchet off like that again, I will kill you both," Lori growled as her grip tightened.

"What the hell, femme!?" both twins asked, trying to get free.

"Optimus could have been killed!" Lori snapped. "Do you think it's a joke to distract your only medic!?"

"Ow, Lori, you need to calm down!" Sunstreaker yelled.

Sideswipe laughed a little. "Calm down, chika. Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?"

"You think I'm being dramatic!?" Lori snarled, her grip tightening again. "Do you take anything seriously at all!?"

"Not really, no..." the Twins admitted.

"Then have fun not being taken seriously yourselves," Lori said in a deadly low tone. Just in time, Ironhide skidded to a stop just outside the room.

"Hey, Lori," he said to get her attention, "sweetheart, just drop those two idiots."

"Please listen to your dad," Sunstreaker begged, starting to panic. Sideswipe was starting to see stars.

"...Fine..." Lori said with a grumble and released them.

Ironhide chuckled as he activated his holoform and felt Lori's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I guess," Lori said as she calmed herself.

"I'm sorry for not answering your texts," Ironhide said.

"I assume the Twins had something to do with that, so you're fine," Lori replied. Ironhide pulled her in close for a hug, which she gladly accepted. The fluffy moment was broken by the sound of Lori's stomach grumbling.

Ironhide chuckled as he picked her up. "Let's go get you something to eat. Being on this base too long isn't doing you any good."

"I guess not," Lori said with a breathy giggle so she wouldn't cough.

"So where do you want to get food?" Ironhide asked.

"I'm happy just to get food from a truckstop," Lori said. "The food isn't the healthiest, but it's filling and delicious."

"If that's what you want, then let's go," Ironhide said. "Shadow, let's go. We're leaving." That got the Raptor up, and he transformed into his sleek alt mode.

"Would you mind if I called my band mates?" Lori asked. "We should get started planning new material if we're going on tour and have albums to produce."

"If you want to," Ironhide said with a lifted optic ridge. "You and Shadow go on ahead. I'll grab Cade and meet you there."

"Sounds like a plan," Lori said as she quickly sent a group text to her band mates. "Shadow, we're going to the truckstop that's on the exit to my house." The Raptor revved his engine in reply as Lori climbed into his cab.

It was half an hour later when Ironhide and Cade arrived.

"Hey there!" Josie greeted.

"We already ordered," Lori said.

"We've got a family sized rib platter," Marc explained.

"I made sure to get all the available sauces," Gabe added.

"Oh boy," Ironhide muttered with a chuckle.

"You can't go wrong with barbecue," Lori said. "We've written many a song while feeling like we were gonna explode from being so full."

"Oh, I'm sure you have stories," Ironhide said as he and Cade sat down next to Lori. Everyone laughed a little, remembering their on-road shenanigans.

"So how did you find your dad, Lo?" Marc asked.

Lori giggled a bit. "Honestly? I nearly provoked him into a fight."

"No better way to meet if you ask me," Ironhide said.

"Who won?" Josie asked.

"Neither of us," Lori said. "My uncle broke us up since he's really good at calming my dad down."

"But it's safe to say I would have kicked your ass," Ironhide teased, flexing his arm to show off his muscles. Cade's eyes went wide and he shrunk a little, intimidated.

"Sure dad," Lori said playfully. Ironhide chuckled and leaned back in his chair to let the band work. For a while they just caught up, remembering their time on the road before. There was plenty of giggling and jokes to be had, but soon they got serious as they discussed tempos, rhythms, and what instrument would sound best and when during a song nowadays. Soon enough the food arrived and they dug in. Ironhide forced his holoform to eat as he realized how hungry his real body was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had energon. Lori looked over at him in concern.

"Aww, look, Lori is such a daddy's girl!" Marc teased.

"Don't tempt me to write a song based on your drunken proposal," Lori playfully threatened.

Ironhide took the chance to get the attention off himself. "Do tell about this drunken proposal. You kids don't ask for parental consent anymore?"

"I don't even remember doing that!" Marc whined.

"Because you were drunk," Lori said with a shit-eating grin. Ironhide laughed with the others as Marc pouted.

"I live with my Aunt Darlene, so it was hard as hell for Gabe to propose to me," Josie said. "God, it was so damn cute."

"I don't think dad'll let me get married anyway," Lori joked.

"That depends on who you want to marry," Ironhide said, giving Cade a sideways glace for a brief second.

"I'm not single though!" Lori teased, grinning.

"Your boo is quiet, Lori," Trent observed. "Is he shy?"

"Kinda..." Cade muttered. Ironhide rolled his eyes, knowing Cade hadn't always been this way.

"He's been through a lot," Lori said, saving Cade from having to attempt an explanation that would expose the truth.

Outside, Ironhide alt mode grumbled, his real body's tank growling from hunger, which scared the crap out of people nearby. Ironhide chuckled softly to himself.

"If you too awkward, you can head back to Uncle Ryan's," Lori said. "I'll find my way back." Ironhide gave her a grateful smile and a nuzzle before excusing himself and leaving. But he didn't fully leave, only drove far enough away that they couldn't him, but he could see them. As much as he wanted to return to base and refuel, he wasn't going to leave his daughter unprotected out here, not with the Decepticons still on the loose and after her.

"So..." Lori muttered.

"This whole contract concept is kinda scary," Marc admitted.

"But there's so many perks," Josie said. "We're getting treated like royalty."

"And we get extra help with stage set up," Gabe added.

"Lori is drafting me into being the light tech," Cade piped up.

"She teaching you well?" Trent asked.

"Yeah, and it's fun," Cade answered.

: I have Shadow. I'll be fine, dad. It's not like the Cons can track me.: Lori quickly texted her dad, assuming he was probably still close by. "I'm still teaching him, and he's learning fast, but it's on hold till I get over this bout of the flu."

: Yeah, right, Shadow and I couldn't protect you from them at your own house. Besides, it's a new order from Optimus that there's always one of us on duty to protect you.: Ironhide replied.

"You're sick?" Marc demanded.

"Lori, hon, I know you want to get started on new material right away, but you being sick is going to hinder that," Josie said.

: Isn't Shadow technically one?: "It's not too bad, just a fever and coughing today. Besides, my uncle is a doctor." : Ratch knows I'm out, right?: Lori didn't want to be in trouble for being out when she should be resting.

"You should take care of yourself," Josie said. "We're not going to start practicing till you're better."

: Shadow is a 'Bot, but Optimus wants him _and_ someone else always with you. But yes, Ratchet and Prime know I took you out to get food. I didn't tell them it was unhealthy though.: Ironhide sent.

: Hey, barbecue isn't unhealthy, red meat is good for humans. Mom could put most men to shame with her barbecue.: "You guys are ganging up on me." Lori made a playful pouty face.

: That sounds like something you mother would do.: Ironhide replied.

"How do we know your head isn't foggy?" Josie asked.

"I haven't had medicine in hours," Lori replied. "It doesn't help me anyway."

"I don't think coming up with melodies will hurt any," Trent said.

: Come allergy season, she used to clear my sinuses with five-alarm chili, and that shit was HOT!:

"Shall we give our techie a say?" Lori suggested.

: Haha... come to think of it, Jazz would be pretty helpful with your band stuff, even though he listens mostly to hip hop and rap.: Ironhide typed.

: We're a rock band though,: Lori replied.

: It was just an idea. I'll let you go, though, texting me and talking to your band must be hard.:

"I don't see why not," Gabe said.

"Let's see what he has to say," Trent agreed.

"I don't know anything about music yet," Cade said shyly.

"Hey, a fresh mind will be good for us," Josie said.

: I'm managing.:"So Cade, what do you think you'll like doing chases to?" Lori asked.

"Well, I was really digging the Metal you were using to teach me," Cade said.

"Well, all in favor of delving into Metal, raise your hands," Lori declared. Everyone raised their hands, making the vote unanimous. "Not as productive as playing riffs, but I'll take it."

"Not while you're sick, _cherie_ ," Marc said.

"And don't argue," Cade said. "They assured that we would get started on practice as soon as you were better."

Lori sighed. "Fine... Man, I must have been hungry, didn't even realize I was eating."

"You should see your face," Trent teased as he handed Lori napkins to clean off. Lori looked as though she had gone cannibal with how much sauce was smeared on her face.

Outside, Ironhide remained alert. Little did he know that Lori's involvement with Megatron, and ultimately being ill, had given the Decepticons the week off. Megatron was making no plans till he could get his hands on Lori again.

The rest of the meeting ended up being more catching up and joking around than planning really. Cade suggested they get back home before they were missed.

" _Oui_ ," Marc said. "Lori, go back to your uncle and rest."

"But this is so fun," Lori whined.

"No, you're sick," Josie said. "You need all the rest you can get."

"Fine," Lori replied with a sigh. "But when I call you guys, we're getting right to work on new songs." : Sheesh, my band is ganging up on me for being sick: Lori texted to her father.

: Shows how much they care.: Ironhide replied.

"We'll be ready," Trent said.

"All right," Lori muttered. "This was fun, and I needed that rib basket. I'll call you guys when I'm better." They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways for the time being. Lori groaned a bit, having forgotten the sensation of being stuffed, and silently hoped she wasn't going to throw up. She knew Ratchet would be furious and not let her out of his sight until she was back to full health.

Ironhide pulled up right behind Shadow, who had his doors open. He was snickering a bit.

"What?" Lori asked, confused.

"You missed some sauce stains, hon," Cade teased. "We'll probably have to get wet paper towels when we get on base."

"Sounds good to me, I'm hungry," Ironhide spoke up, activating his holoform so Cade and Lori wouldn't look crazy speaking to an empty vehicle. Lori and Cade jumped in Shadow's cab and they returned to base.

[I wouldn't have let you sit in my cab with that face anyway,] Ironhide teased over the comm link.

[I wouldn't have let it get anywhere,] Lori replied with a small laugh that turned into a small cough. Ironhide sent a radio message to the base letting them know they were on their way home. "That wasn't as good as mom's barbecue, but it was filling and tasty."

They finally made it back on base, and once through the gate Ironhide split off from Shadow to go refuel. Shadow brought Lori to medbay so she could check in with Ratchet in case he had something for her. Naturally, the CMO was displeased about the stains on Lori's face and insisted she get cleaned up completely. He then shooed her to the bed so she could get some rest, despite her cough-broken protests.

A small while later, Lennox decided to visit Lori before he went home for the day just to chat and get to know her better. She had dozed off for a moment, but promptly awoke when Lennox walked in.

"Hey Lori," the Major greeted.

"Hi," Lori said, muffling a yawn.

"You're looking pretty rough there," Lennox remarked. "The flu always sucks."

"No kidding," Lori muttered. "But I certainly feel a bit better with a full stomach that's not churning."

Lennox chuckled. "At least you're getting better."

"I would have gotten a good laugh in if I could have pranked Galloway but thought against it," Lori said.

"Yeah, that would have been a bad idea," Lennox replied. "But between you and me, I would have totally thrown him out of a plane." Lori giggled a small bit at that.

"He's such a jerk," Lori said. "It's why I let Shadow act hostile towards him, although Shadow is very sweet in reality." In response, Shadow walked over and nuzzled Lennox with a purr.

"He's a good boy," Lennox said, petting the Raptor.

"The nerve of Galloway, wanting to muzzle him," Lori muttered with a small growl.

"That's just who he is," Lennox said with a sigh. He gave Shadow a gentle pat on the lower jaw. "I'd better get home to my family, so I'll let you get back to dozing."

"All right, it was nice talking to you," Lori said. Lennox gave a curt nod before making his way out of medbay.

After Lori dozed off again, Shadow decided to go find Ironhide. He found him with Ratchet in the Bot's rec room, getting energon and talking about Elita and Optimus. He gave a soft _bark_ to get their attention.

They both gazed over at him. "Hey Shadow," Ironhide greeted as he finished his energon. Shadow opened his mouth to reply, but a soldier passed in his peripheral vision with what her perceived to be a muzzle, causing the Raptor to yelp and dive behind Ironhide, shaking and whining.

"Whoa!" Ratchet exclaimed in surprise. "Shadow, what's wrong?"

Ironhide looked around saw the soldier and what he was carrying, which turned out to be a parachute harness. The Raptor cowered behind Ironhide, clearly terrified. "Come on boy, you can tell me," he said, kneeling and petting Shadow.

"It appears he's afraid of being muzzled," Ratchet observed, "and the soldier passing by is carrying what Shadow must have perceived to be a muzzle. Poor thing must be traumatized from his incursion with the Decepticons."

"Did I do something wrong?" the soldier asked, looking concerned.

"No, you're fine," Ironhide said, keeping Shadow close. "Carry on." The soldier nodded and went on his way. Shadow soon calmed as Ironhide muttered reassuring things to him.

"So what did you come in here for?" Ratchet asked Shadow gently.

"Lori's resting so I thought I'd stick with you," Shadow replied. Seconds later, Shadow's tank growled, which startled him since he'd not experienced it before.

"You're probably hungry," Ratchet said with a soft chuckle. The CMO got a bowl and filled it with energon, setting it on the counter so Shadow wouldn't have to reach so far down. The Raptor sniffed at the energon before hesitantly lapping at it.

"There you go, good boy," Ironhide said, petting the Raptor.

Shadow was purring once he finished. "Wow, I feel a lot better now."

"I should have fed you sooner," Ironhide said apologetically. "Normally I only need to worry about myself."

"I'm still learning about myself," Shadow replied. "How would I have known I was hungry?" Ironhide and Ratchet shrugged with a chuckle. Eventually, Lori came in to get some energon herself.

"What a day," she muttered with a yawn.

"I hope the rest of the time you're sick isn't as chaotic," Ironhide said. "You need to focus on getting better."

"Good luck getting me to stay still," Lori teased.

"I'll accept that challenge," Ratchet said.

"What would you do?" Lori asked. Ironhide was trying to non-verbally tell Lori to be quiet and not test the CMO. "I can break out of rope with my brute strength."

"I'd like to you try to break out of some the Cybertronian medical restraints I have," Ratchet challenged. "I have some even Optimus can't escape from."

"Speaking of Optimus, how is he?" Ironhide asked, trying to change the subject.

"His injuries weren't too extensive," Ratchet said. "He'll make a full recovery quickly, but I'm still confining him to base for the time being, something he won't like. But you're going back to bed, young lady." He pinned Lori with a glare and she made a break for the training room. Ironhide held Ratchet at bay so his daughter could escape.

In the training room, Lori did a little sparring, and even dancing, with Jazz and Wheeljack before she was finally worn out. Ironhide came in, picked up the drowsy woman, and carried her to medbay so she could sleep.

Later, Optimus awoke slowly from his treatment from Ratchet. He looked around for a few moments before he spotted Elita, smiling when he saw her.

"How are you feeling?" Elita asked, smiling back warmly.

"Virtually all better," Optimus answered, "but Ratchet's confined me to base. I'm sorry I can't take you driving like I promised, I was looking forward to our date."

"Don't you worry about that," Elita assured. "You just focus on healing. I'd prefer you be healed than risk getting injured further out on a cruise. I was worried about you." She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in close. A blush dusted Optimus's faceplates. Elita giggled sweetly. A purr escaped Optimus as he leaned up to close the small distance between him and Elita, and Elita planted a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"Is that all I get?" Optimus gave a charmingly pouty smile.

"You look so cute when you pout," Elita teased before kissing his lips gently. Optimus returned the kiss with a victorious purr.

Ironhide stepped into medbay carrying his dozing daughter and, as quietly as he could, passed by Optimus and Elita. Optimus looked up and quietly greeted the weapons expert as Lori was set on her bed. Optimus murmured a quick good night to Lori and snuck a goodnight kiss to Elita before the lights in medbay shut off and plunged it into darkness.

 **A/N: Buckle up, buttercups, things are gonna get bumpy next chapter!**


	17. EA Side Adventures 1

**A/N: I'm not dead! Neither is the story! Quick rundown of what's halting the progress: in short, no more home wifi. Meaning I couldn't access the main story file since November. So, now that I'm settled in school, I'm moving it back to my flashdrive. For now, here's a couple side adventures I whipped up. Thanks to the DevArt group I'm a part of. Both were fun! Enjoy!**

 _ **Impossible...**_

Lori had her earbuds in deep, the sounds of Pop Evil, Shinedown, and other rock bands filling her ears, honing her focus. She was able to practice more effectively this way. Sure, her father didn't like her fighting, what with her performing career and all, but he certainly didn't stop her from keeping her skills sharp. No one knew if the Decepticons were going to try to make a cheap shot on her during her tours. It was off season right now, hence why Lori was spending so much time in the base's training facility.

She'd have enlisted for NEST, but she already had her contract, plus she was incredibly combative in nature. She got it from her father, he also claimed she got her good looks from him. She smiled at that as she spun her sword fluidly through the air, slicing apart one of the cloth practice dummies like a hot knife through butter. Her human-Cybertronain genetic mix gave her many advantages in life, like her quick reflexes and strength.

Elsewhere, Wheeljack was working on some grand invention. So far, his curse/habit of blowing stuff up hadn't followed him to Earth, and he'd made many great things to help the soldiers. A myriad of weapons, tools, even suits and armor that not only helped then combat Decepticons, but helped other branches of the military get the upper hand in many conflicts. The soldiers were hailing him their weaponry wizard, performing acts of magic that no other weapons provider had been able to match. He, so far, next to Ironhide, was a favorite in the base.

Little did anyone know, things were about to be taken on quite a ride.

It started with Wheeljack neglecting a small pile of gunpowder he had laying on a nearby table. His lab, which no human, not even Lori, had seen, was an abosolute maze of high—tech machinery. He'd been tinkering with some custom armor for Lori at her fahter's request, when a small spark crackled in the wiring. That was little to worry about... until it hit the gunpowder. The flammable powder ignited in a non-dramatic puff of smoke, but the hot slag it left melted through the table and landed on a bank of cables, setting those alight as well. It was then Wheeljack scrambled for something to suppress the fire starting to form, but the closest fire extinguisher was in the far side of the lab... He made a run for it anyway. The burning cables reached the machinery they fed and went up in a spectacular, colorful fireball of mixed gasses and shrapnel.

If Lori hadn't had her earbuds in so deep and the volume up so high, she'd have heard the initial whoosh of the explosion and escaped the blast wave.

…

…

…

When she came too, she could hear a soft rumble. Was she underground? Was there an earthquake? She made to move and she felt... heavy, yet light at the same time, like her body was sumberged in water. Had she been thrown into a lake? Her eyes snapped opened and at first she thought she was looking into a massive water tank...

...Until she realized she _was_ in the water tank. She immediately made a scramble to the surface, wondering if she was going to suffocate before she made it, until she realized that she wasn't suffocating at all. In fact, it almost felt like it was totally normal to breath under the water. She took an experimental breath in, and found it a bit harder, but doable nonetheless. She slowed her ascent and looked around, trying to get her bearings on where she was. She could make out what seemed to be beds and equipment surrounding them, and possibly figures on those beds, so she deduced she was in a medical area. So why was she in a tank, able to breathe underwater? She last remembered being in the training area, jamming to some Avenged Sevenfold, and faintly remembered a rude hand pushing her and some intense heat... and some weird sensations on her neck. She was thinking what could have possibly happened when she looked down, and that's when she noticed her feet... or lack thereof.

Why the fuck did she have a tail!?

She reeled back, finding the tank wall. She braced against it, staring in shock at her new appendage. It was mechanical in nature, rippling layers of sleek carbon fiber, tapering down to a point before flaring into, admittedly impressive, shimmering mesh fins that looked like high quality netting. Her tail was swaying up and down steadily, keeping her in place. Slowly, she bagan to calm, mesmerized by her tail as it moved fluidly.

"Oh, Lori, you've woken." Ratchet's voice. It was bouncing all over the water since sound traveled so well in fluid, so Lori wasn't able to pinpoint where it was coming from.

"...What the fuck." It was all she could muster. It sounded a bit garbled to her. Hopefully she could be understood.

"I'm still trying to figure that out," Wheeljack spoke up.

"That's reassuring," Lori grumbled. She straightened up, her tail vertical.

"Are you in any pain?" Ratchet asked.

"Well..." Lori assessed herself. No sighs of major injury, but a few scratches, and a burn so minor it was more like a sunburn. "Stinging but not like 'oh god I'm dying help' more like I pissed off a cat."

"Good," Ratchet said.

"Where are you guys?" Lori asked.

"Look behind you," Ratchet replied. Lori spun 180 degrees rather gracefully, making her smirk. Wheeljack and Ratchet looked so small from her warped underwater view. Both had a fascinated look plastered to their faceplates. She gave a most unamused look in response and crossed her arms. She discovered she had the shredded upper half of her tank top still on, just enough to conceal her bust. Well, wasn't that convinient.

"So, you want my theory?" Wheeljack asked, looking down.

"I've got nothing better to do, so hit me," Lori said.

"So, you were caught up in the blast wave from my equipment going up in flames," Wheeljack started. "It had enough punch to launch you into the fitness area's pool. Along the way your legs were shredded by flying shrapnel, and you neck was slit open on either side as well.

Now, possibly given the combonations of gasses and smoke in the air, plus your body's Cybertronian instincts to keep you alive, your body began to adapt to survive in the water. Pieces of carbon fiber and mesh netting attached to your leg framing, and given your minimal knowledge of the mythical creatures called mermaids, you were transformed into one so that you wouldn't drown.

That's just my theory so far, it could change if I can study you a bit." Wheeljack looked a little sheepish saying that.

"So I'm a mecha-mermaid?" Lori asked. "Am I in some drug-induced surgery dream, and in reality I'm laying on a berth in medbay while Ratch keeps me from dying?"

"I'm afraid not," Ratchet said. "You're fully awake."

"Oh, that's fuckin wonderful," Lori groused. "Any chance I can be reverted to having legs?" Wheeljack perked back up, but then looed away.

"Yes, with surgery we can return you to your normal form," Wheeljack said. "As far as scans can tell your legs are concealed in the body of your tail, your feet at the most narrow point. But you can't have the surgery now, not until the mess in my lab is cleaned up and my equipmet repaired."

"Ain't that the icing on the fuckin cake!" Lori snarled. "How long?"

"A month, two at most," Wheeljack estimated. Lori groaned.

"Isn't it every girl's dream to be a mermaid?" Ratchet teased. Lori pinned him with the coldest glare she could muster. "There's nothing we can do about it. In my opinion it's a far better outcome than trying to stabilize your burned, bleeding body on a berth after being shredded to hell. You look quite healthy and your body was remarkably fast in adapting." Lori sighed and growled... then her stomach did too.

"How the fuck am I supposed to eat?" She asked. She was not gonna drink anything from this tank, no way in hell.

"We've rigged some energon tablets for you," Wheeljack said. He chuckled at her nervous look. "Don't worry, all we did was add a mineral that makes energon a bit more solid and molded it into tablets while it was still soft."

"Cybertronian fish food," Lori grumbled. "I feel ridiculous."

"You'll have to live with it for now," Ratchet said. He then let some of the tablets he mentioned fall into the tank. Quickly and gracefully, Lori caught them all and tasted one. It was remarkably wonderful tasting. She smiled a bit and consumed the others soon enough.

"Maybe, just maybe I can get used to this," Lori said.

"Glad you could come to accept it," Ratchet said. Lori giggled.

…

…

…

Over the course of the next two months, Lori did indeed grow used to her aquatic body, swimming and twirling with ease. She even entertained the healing soldiers with choreographed tricks she made up as _Subnautica_ 's soundtrack played.

When the time finally came that she could be on land once again, she at first hesitated, having grown to enjoy her aquatic grace. But she soon accepted being put under for surgery. She bid a silent goodbye to her tail as she drifted into a drugged sleep.

When she awoke, she felt... almost normal, but not quite. Something seemed off. She opened her eyes and breathed in, enjoying the mouthful of dry air. Casting a look down at her legs, she sighed. Having a tail had come to be fun.

"Missing your tail?" Wheeljack. She followed the sound of his voice.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I was starting to love it."

"Well then, you'll enjoy the news we bring," Ratchet said. "How are you feeling?"

"Woozy," Lori said. "But what's this good news?"

"Well, there was a complication with removing the tail," Wheeljack said.

"You body would start to destabilize whenever we tried to completely remove it from your body," Ratchet continued. "As well when we tried to fully seal the cuts in your neck. It seems your body had grown fully accustomed to the adaptations that fully removing them would have been fatal."

"So we had to integrate your tail into splitting into your legs," Wheeljack explained. "Along with allow your gills to remain open unless on land."

"Because of this, your T-cog has grown a little to accommodate the transformation," Ratchet said. "But in short, you can transform into a mermaid should you so desire."

Lori beamed. She could absolutely live like this.

 **A/N: That's just the first one. The next one is a tad OOC and pretty ridiculous, but funny nonetheless.**


	18. EA Side Adventures 2

**A/N: As I warned, this one is fairly OOC and improbable, but the prompt was too good to pass up. Come to think of it, the Feb prompt is too good to pass up as well. Probably expect that one before the next chapter.**

 **Onward!**

 _ **The Vacation...**_

Megatron was restless.

No. It wasn't restlessness. Or was it? He wasn't quite sure anymore. The Autobots had gone so radio silent, save their techno-organic superstar Lori, that it was literally impossible to catch them outside of one of Lori's tours; there was little to no point in trying to attack them out on the road. His Decepticons had long ago grown tired of blood and bone getting caught in their armor and Lori always fought back.

So here the warlord sat, slowly losing his sanity to boredom.

Deciding that he had little better to do, he decided to stalk Lori's social media pages. She and her band were always updating it with pictures from the road and plethora of venues they performed in. Mostly. Sometimes there was pictures of practice being held at Lori's house or the barbecues she often held for the military the Autobots fought alongside if the Decepticons stirred up trouble.

He was about to close out the pages when one pinged. He refreshed the page...

...and there was a picture of Lori. And the rest of the Autobots. Were they in... Hawaii? Using their techno-organic avatars no doubt. Oh, that looked like Optimus's... was he drinking a mai-tai? And was that Elita in a pink floral bikini lounging beside him? Megatron clicked the image to read the caption. " _We're on a serious vacation. No Cons to bother us, and if they do, it better be Unicron himself causing trouble. See ya next show, fans and family!_ " The warlord huffed. How dare that brat be so bold? Did she really think that he wouldn't send his troops down to Hawaii to attack?

An idea started to form in his twisted mind. He'd go in holoform, along with the rest of his army, to get the battle he and the rest so desired.

 _Honolulu_

Lori settled on her massage bed. Beside her was Optimus. It had taken the whole family to convince the war-ravaged leader to agree, but finally he had caved and consented to a hot stone massage with Lori. Elita, Arcee, and Chromia were at the spa getting mud baths and mani-pedis. Ironhide had taken Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Bumbleebee to explore the island. The Lambo Twins we out bar-hopping with Jazz and Prowl.

It was shaping up to be a perfect vacation already.

Lori purred and the hot stones kneaded out the knots in her back. To say it felt heavenly was purely an understatement. She could also hear Optimus groaning and purring as he too felt his stiff avatar being loosened up with the gentle hands of the masseuse and the pleasantly hot stones relaxing the dull ache of his body away.

"How dare you be so bold." Lori sighed. She figured this might happen.

"Really..." She mumbled into the padded headrest her face was in. She slowly looked up. "You didn't read my status."

"Oh I did," Megatron sneered. "This opportunity was far too good to pass up."

"Perhaps you need this treatment yourself," Optimus spoke up, albeit muffled. He didn't move his head to look at the warlord. He was melting too much from the massage.

"You have grown soft," Megatron jeered. "I could kill you here and now"

"Where's the fun in that," Lori said, having put her head back down.

"Are not not intimidated?" Megatron demanded.

"We're so on vacation it's not even funny."

"Only call if you're planning to truly end the world," Optimus said, no hint of stress or hostility to his voice. This... actually intimidated Megatron.

"But-"

"Join us or shoo," Lori mumbled.

"How dare you-"

"Join us. Or Shoo." Optimus's voice was slurred from how relaxed he was.

"I'll-"

"Join. Us. Or. Shoo." Lori spoke slowly, but not harshly.

Megatron was stupefied. He briefly looked out to check if his army had done their tasks, but it was promptly discovered that they hadn't. They'd all given in to the temptation of a beach day. Not the strangest way a plan had backfired, Megatron supposed.

It was on that day the war was halted for the sake of soaking up rays and getting rid of the years of pent up stress. They were all alive to battle another day, perhaps with renewed vigor.

 **A/N: There we go. No flames, I know something like this wouldn't actually happen. I'm aware. It's comedic relief. The next prompt will likely be similar in the level of ridiculous but bleh. I do what I want.**


	19. Chapter 14: I Just Wanted To Help

**A/N: Well wouldn't you know, just a day after I slapped down those side adventures, this chapter is ready to go. Well, after some edits _coughbecauseididntstayuplatetogetitdonefastwhatnoiwouldntdosuchathingcoughcough_**

When they arrived at the club, Lori got out of Jazz's alt mode, laughing. "We're lucky we didn't get pulled over!"

"Let's party!" Jazz declared. As they walked into the building, the powerful tempo of _Feel Invincible_ by Skillet was blasting over the speakers. It instantly took Lori's body over and she spun out to the dancefloor, her body rolling smoothly while her arms jerked sharply with the beat of the song. The others dispersed about the club to do their own thing; the Lambo Twins found the bar, Jazz collected several dance partners, and Bumblebee hit the dancefloor with Sam and Mikaela.

Little did they know of the four Decepticons within the club as well.

As she danced, Lori kept watch for Megatron, not sure if he'd altered his holoform or not. She soon shook it off as she belted out the empowering lyrics at the top of her lungs. Megatron had actually altered his holoform to have a mor punk appearance, and he was watching Lori dance from a distance, mesmerized. He was only pulled from his trance when Breakdown wanted to ask him a question.

"So we're not here to attack the Autobots or the Hybrid?"

"No," Megatron answered. "You and Knockout go enjoy yourselves, just don't let the the Autobots discover you. It shouldn't be an issue since they don't know what your holoforms look like."

"And what of Blackout?" Breakdown asked.

"He will remain on standby in case the Autobots try something," Megatron answered.

"Yes, sir," Breakdown said as he took Knockout out onto the dancefloor.

Megatron went back to watching Lori for a time before he approached her.

"Not interested, bud, I've got a boyfriend," Lori said as she sustained a spin.

"I know," Megatron said, making sure she recognized his voice.

Lori froze mid-spin, one leg midair. "Nice change, didn't take ya for a punk." She settled herself on both feet, but kept one foot tapping to the beat.

"Well I had to change it dramatically so the Autobots wouldn't recognize me," Megatron explained. "Especially your 'boyfriend' who I don't see dancing with you. May I have this dance?" He smiled devilishly and offered his hand.

Lori launched into another aggressive spin as another Skillet song was cued up. "This better be your genre cuz you better keep up!" She dropped low before rolling her body back up. Megatron smirked and synched a body roll next to her. He wanted to move behind her but decided to play it slow for now. Lori laughed, "I see how it's gonna be!" She did an inhumanly sharp back bend before she brought herself back up with a fan kick. Megatron felt a nosebleed coming, but prevented his holoform from doing so. He wasn't as flexible as Lori, but he could still pull moves that impressed her. Lori front flipped, spun mid-air before landing in a handstand. She held it expertly. Of course, her skirt was tight enough not to ride up on her. Megatron was bummed that her skirt stayed in place. He then saw other people looking their way because of Lori's dancing and growled at them to back off, she was his! Lori cartwheeled in front of him. "I've been stared at before, it's nothing new." She was swinging her hips to the beat. Megatron's eyes were on Lori's hips, and traveled up her body as he felt another nosebleed coming on.

"I don't like them staring at you, you're too good for them," Megatron said, finally starting to enjoying himself since he got to dance next to Lori.

"Keep trying to win me," Lori said, unimpressed. "I already have my boyfriend's spark." Then, _Man Enough_ by Def Leppard came on. Lori rolled her head back in bliss and her hips took greater swings.

"I understand you have his spark, but does he have yours?" Megatron asked.

"Of course he does," Lori said. She blew a kiss at Barricade, and like the adorable dork he'd become, he played along and "caught" the kiss, holding it over his heart with a smile.

Megatron looked over at Barricade, wondering if he was aware who was dancing with Lori. *He probably would just let the Autobots know and have them do all the work.* He thought to himself. But after giving Barricade a disgusted look, he asked Lori, "What did he do to win you over? You describe him as someone entirely different than when he worked for me."

"It was actually me who won him over," Lori explained. "When I nearly ran over his holorform with my truck… when he still had the holoform."

"I understand how _he_ fell in love with you," Megatron said, "But how did you fall for a dork like him?" He grabbed Lori and spun her.

"Because he's acted so damn adorable," Lori said, smirking.

"I'm sure that's not all you look for in a guy, is it?" Megatron asked. He kept dancing with her, staying close, but not enough to hinder her moves.

"He's very sweet to me," Lori said. "And so far, the only one to have never made me angry."

"Are you not looking for him to be strong?" Megatron asked. "To pick you up?"

"He'll get stronger soon enough," Lori said. "Besides, I have a family who's strong too."

"What about in bed?" Megatron asked with a cheeky smirk.

"Dude!" Lori snapped, stumbling from being startled. "Hell no!" Megatron caught her and brought her close to his body; Lori could feel his holoform's muscles beneath his shirt.

"You can't tell me you haven't thought about it, especially at your age." Megatron smirked impishly.

Lori pushed him away, annoyed. "The majority of the fights I was in were drunk men who thought they could have their way with me. That's the least thing I ever want to do."

"I take it you're a virgin then?" Megatron asked smugly.

"Yes, and that's not changing," Lori growled.

"If you say so," Megatron replied, his smirk returning.

"It ain't happening," Lori said, her expression darkening. "I'm not sterile, I'm not going to be a mom."

"Interesting to know your human and Cybertronian halves didn't alter that," Megatron said, genuinely surprised.

"Trust me, I know," Lori grumbled.

"How about we brighten the mood," Megatron said, handing her some glow sticks. He figured he better change the subject before Lori grew hostile.

"Lame," Lori teased. Suddenly, a small tide of glow paint fell from above as the song *Rocket* by Def Leppard came on. Lori assured Megatron the paint was washable… not that he really needed to worry.

"How was I supposed to know?" Megatron retorted. "I've never done anything like this before."

Across the dancefloor, Knockout was definitely enjoying himself. "I must admit, humans do know how to entertain themselves." Breakdown nodded, but he was feeling out of place. He'd only tagged along because Knockout had wanted to.

Barricade looked out at the dancefloor, looking embarrassed that it wasn't him out there dancing with Lori. Soon, the beaten up holoform of Blackout sat next to him.

"Why aren't you dancing?" The Decepticon asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"I don't know how to yet," Barricade admitted to his former friend, tense. "You look like shit… is that my fault?"

"Relax, I'm off duty," Blackout said. "And… in a way it is, but also isn't."

"What are you doing here anyway?" Barricade asked.

"Being the 'escort' for Knockout and Breakdown," Blackout lied. "Never would have guessed he had dancefloor cred. Besides, I also saw you guys leave your base. I gotta admit, I'm surprised you're not challenging that dude with your girl."

"How can I challenge him when I can't even do the damn Cha Cha Slide?" Barricade griped. "Though… I'd kill at karaoke."

"Not sure they've got that in a place like this," Blackout muttered, glad Barricade had bought the lie. He had no desire to find out what would have happened if Megatron had discovered their cover had been blown in any way.

"Damn," Barricade grumbled.

The song ended, and a hip hop piece came on. Lori stopped dancing and made her way back to her table, drenched in sweat and glow paint.

"I don't dance to that genre," she said casually as Megatron started to follow. "I'm gonna go grab some food and a soda."

"Fine, have fun," Megatron said, and stopped following her. Lori made her way over to the bar and ordered a gigantic plate of nachos and a glass of Rockstar Energy over ice. She then made her way back to the table Barricade was sat at. By then Blackout had gone, as he'd seen Lori approaching.

"Lonely, love?" She asked playfully as she sat down.

"Feeling bad for letting other guys dance with you," Barricade said with a pout.

"Well, how about after I eat I teach you some moves?" Lori offered.

"Yes please," Barricade said eagerly.

"The guy I was dancing with was a jock anyway," Lori said as she took a bite of her nachos.

"Not your type?" Barricade teased.

"Nope, I love you for you," Lori said. She texted, : Still peaceful at the base?: to her dad.

: Surprisingly, yes.: Came the reply. : Then again, I can't find any of the usual trouble makers. But how are you feeling? Any Better?:

"Awh, you're too much Lori," Barricade swooned.

Lori giggled then responded, : That's because all the trouble makers are out with me. When Bee told me Optimus hadn't slept in a week I wasn't gonna let him get woken up.:

: That explains a lot. Well, Ratchet and I are doing all his work for him, and even the humans are keeping it down. But you didn't answer my question, how are you feeling? Headache? Fever?:

: Kinda can't tell right now, I'm coated in glow paint and sweat. I'm also eating nachos.: Lori sent, with plenty of joking and laughing emojis. "My dad is worrying about me, isn't that cute?" She asked Barricade.

"Kinda his job," Barricade replied.

"He's good at it," Lori said with a giggle.

: Nachos… for breakfast… oh boy. Well alright, just be careful.: Ironhide texted.

: It's not like they have breakfast items in a party club.: Lori replied with a laughing emoji.

Out on the dancefloor, Jazz's and Knockout's holoforms bumped into each other; not recognizing each other, they just kept dancing.

Knockout huffed. "Do try to keep a tighter dancing form."

"My bad, hot stuff," Jazz teased. Breakdown pulled Knockout closer to him with a soft, possessive growl.

"Relax," Knockout said softly so Jazz couldn't hear. "At least he doesn't know who we are."

"I'd just love to squish him," Breakdown grumbled.

"We're off duty," Knockout insisted. "Although I would like to compliment the hybrid on her dancing. Few have such grace."

"She won't know who you are, so go for it," Breakdown said.

"A good point," Knockout said The two made their way over to Lori's table.

"You need something?" Lori asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"I just wished to compliment you on your dancing," Knockout said. "You have incredibly graceful moves."

"Uhh, thanks?" Lori replied. "You new to the club?"

"Yes, and I do like it," Knockout replied.

"It's definitely a wonderful place to unwind," Lori said. Lori could see the newcomer's partner sizing her up and looked smug that she seemed more the threat than her boyfriend. A waitress came up carrying a massive platter of nachos. Barricade blinked, stunned. Lori snorted and got started eating.

"That hardly looks healthy," Knockout remarked. Lori smugly crunched on a cheese-laden chip.

"Is that good?" Breakdown piped up, genuinely curious.

Lori couldn't help but giggle. "Yes. Nachos are great. Hell, this is what this place is known for food-wise. They call it the 'Texas Nacho Plate' because, well, look at it. There's enough here for at least three people." Wheeljack walked over just then, sizing up the two incognito Cons.

"Are you two bothering my cousin?" He asked, crossing his arms. When Breakdown gave him an irritated glare, he responded with "What? I'm just looking out for her. It's what family is for."

"She looks fully capable of handling herself," Breakdown replied.

"Of course she can," Wheeljack remarked. "You can't blame me for caring. If we didn't she'd whoop us when we tease her."

"Jack, chill," Lori said with a roll of her eyes. "They were only asking about my food. What have you been up to?"

"Tried out that weird game Foosball," Wheeljack answered. "I found it pretty fun actually." He suddenly grabbed Lori and gave her a noogie. "We tease those we love."

"Noooo, quit it!" Lori whined in laughter. "You'll tangle my hair!"

"Oh boo-hoo," Wheeljack teased with a smug chuckle.

"Let my sister go," Bee said as he suddenly appeared. It wasn't long before the Twins came by. They eagerly tried the nachos and found they liked the dish. Lori was happy that she didn't have to manage the whole plate on her own. She'd forgotten how huge the serving was.

"Dang, we've barely gotten to know these relatives are we already 'love' each other," Sideswipe joked. "You're getting soft in these older years, Uncle Jackie!"

"You wanna repeat that?" Wheeljack asked as he released Lori and popped his knuckles.

"This family is nuts," Barricade murmured to Lori with a sigh.

"Hey, beats being bored," Lori teased, to which Barricade chuckled at.

"How have you guys been?" The ex-'Con asked the Twins.

"Getting into trouble," Sunstreaker responded.

"But talking ourselves out of it," Sideswipe added proudly.

"That is exactly why I took you guys here," Lori said as she nibbled her nachos. "It's proven to be a far better alternative to waking up 'Papa Bear' and facing his cranky wrath... anyway, let's get a family group photo to prove to dad we're having fun."

"Somebody's gonna have to drag Uncle J off the dancefloor," Sunstreaker said. "He's not gonna come so willingly."

"What's a nickname that annoys the hell out of him?" Lori asked. She knew that was a pretty good way to get someone's attention across a room.

"He doesn't get annoyed," Bumblebee said with a shrug. "He does the annoying."

"Then how do we get him over here?" Lori asked, drumming her fingers on her chin.

"We need something he likes or wants," Sideswipe said.

"Okay, so what does he want right now?" Lori replied. The group looked out at the dancefloor, at Jazz. The saboteur was giving no frags about anything other than moving his body to the loud music. He was changing dance partners now and again too, not even looking in their direction once.

"Why are we making this hard?" Sideswipe asked. "He's got a soft spot for you, Lori, just go out there and ask him." Lori got one of those smug grins on her face, the kind that implied she was up to mischief.

"You want me to take charge?" She asked. "I can take charge." She got up, walked out to the dance floor, and nonchalantly picked Jazz up while he was dancing. "We need you for a group photo."

Jazz was incredibly surprised by the move. "Wow! Okay, all ya had to do was ask. I love taking pictures!" He was also very amused at being carried.

"Well you looked busy," Lori said with a smug smile. "We've got nachos by the way. Trying not to eat the whole plate myself, might spell bad news later on."

"Yeah, we don't want that," Jazz said. "Good thing you've got us to help you finish... or at very least Barricade since we don't really need the food, other than Sam and Mikaela of course."

"True enough," Lori said as they returned to the table. "Now we can get a good picture. Just gotta show dad we're having a good time and that I'm fighting off this bout of a flu." Sam came up and offered to take the picture, which they accepted happily. Lori insisted they take a good picture first, just of them smiling. Then came the silly photo; the Twins went back-to-back, Jazz was suddenly doing a handstand, Bumblebee had picked Lori up, making her laugh, and Barricade just made a silly face.

"With that out of the way, can I go back to dancing?" Jazz asked teasingly. "The music is calling to me." Lori nodded as she worked on sending the pictures to her father. Jazz vanished back out onto the dancefloor.

: Having a blast, and I promise to shower afterwards.: She texted.

: Looks like fun. And yes, you better shower before Ratchet sees you.: Ironhide replied.

: Oh definitely. I kinda like being alive haha.: Lori sent.

"Are there other songs you can show me moves for?" Barricade asked.

"Well yeah, but I dunno when they'll play another," Lori told him. "Hey Sam, I've got nachos I'm sharing. Want some?"

"Sure!" Sam answered.

"Help yourself," Lori said, suppressing a cough. "Gotta warn you though, the jalapenos are hot little fuckers." Hence why she was coughing. The spicy component of the food was irritating her sensitive sinuses. Barricade nodded as he'd gotten one himself. He rapidly ordered a glass of milk and chugged it to quell the burning of his mouth. Sam and Mikaela laughed at this, but were definitely careful.

Lori took another bite herself, and in that same instant, her eyes widened. "Fuck... ghost pepper!" She grabbed a napkin and suffered a fairly nasty, and rather painful, coughing fit.

: Note to self... do NOT eat ghost peppers while having the flu. Shit, it hurts!: Lori texted to her father as she blew her freely running nose. Mikaela went over to Lori after the hybrid's eyes stopped watering.

"I don't think we've met," She said. "I'm Mikaela." She held out her hand.

Lori took Mikaela's hand, forehead beaded with sweat. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Hey, Lo, do they have karaoke here?" Barricade asked, trying to help her get her mind off her suffering.

Lori took a sip of her drink. "Yeah, 'Kickass Karaoke'."

"Really?" Barricade asked excitedly.

"Yes," Lori answered. "You can do some pretty wicked songs here."

Blackout was eavesdropping nearby, and couldn't help but smile and fight the urge to laugh at Barricade's excitement. But, he did wonder how Megatron was going to intervene again.

"How do I go about doing this?" Barricade asked.

"You ask a waitress for a song list, and pick the song you want to do," Lori explained. "For a fee, you can actually keep the outfit they make you wear for each song."

"Oh this is gonna be fun!" Barricade said excitedly as he waved a waitress over. He looked over the song choices and made his pick. He even put up the fee to pick the outfit list for that song. Bumblebee rolled his eyes and laughed. Barricade was escorted behind the small stage that overlooked the dancefloor. A few minutes later, he stepped out onto the stage in tight-fitting jeans, an unbuttoned, black tailcoat without a shirt underneath, and a top-hat.

"Oh damn," Lori muttered. "That looks really good on him." She ignored the stirring sensation she felt.

"You gonna join him so I can see you in an outfit like that?" Mikaela teased Sam, making the younger man blush. The music faded out at " _My Religion_ " by Skillet faded in. Barricade smirk and sang expertly, hitting the pitches and tempo flawlessly, keeping his smug face on Lori, making her blush and swoon.

"He's a keeper," Mikaela joked to Lori, who nodded with a giggle.

"He's a dork," she replied, "but he's so sweet."

Ironhide saw Lori's text and rolled his optics as he continued to help the soldiers repair their damaged base. He make sure there wouldn't be further accidents and that the new structures were stable.

"Would you like some help, Ironhide?" Elita asked as she walked over.

"Ah... sure, if you like," Ironhide replied as he lifted a heavy panel of wall. Elita helped him with it.

"This will go faster with help," she muttered. "But mostly, I need something to keep my mind off Optimus. I was very displeased to hear he hasn't gotten rest for a week. He shouldn't be doing that to himself!" She was definitely looking a bit aggravated.

"Yeah..." Ironhide agreed with a sigh. "Ratchet and I have tried to get him to bed before, but we just haven't been able to convince him. I think Ratch slipped something to him while he was fixing Optimus up this time, though. Ratch knows Optimus lets his guard down around him."

"I'm glad," Elita said. "Optimus really needs that rest if he's going to do his work properly."

"I don't understand how he even does as much he's doing without messing something up now and again," Ironhide muttered. "That mech is damn near perfect, if he wasn't so stubborn."

"His stubbornness is his only flaw," Elita said with a small, amused smile.

Ironhide gave it some fault. "Then again, that same stubbornness saves us from giving up confidential information to Galloway..."

"Very true," Elita agreed. "Ugh, that man is so rude."

"I don't really understand why he doesn't like us," Ironhide said. "We haven't done a thing to him... well... until he started being a jerk to us. After that, well, there have been 'pranks' that I act like I know nothing about." The soldiers finished welding the wall section, and the two Autobots released it from their grip.

"If only there was a way to get him to like us," Elita said. "It would make things so much easier."

"Thank you!" One of the soldiers called up to them happily. "This would have taken weeks without your help!"

"No problem Lou, just make sure no more buildings fall on Prime," Ironhide joked before turning to Elita. "We could figure out why he doesn't like us first, but that never gets us anywhere when we ask. Oh well, Optimus is really good at keeping the fleshy at bay anyway."

"We'll make sure of that," Lou replied. "Major Lennox already requested some reinforcements to put on the rest of the hangars to make sure those don't fall in the first place."

"He certainly is," Elita said with a smile.

Blackout smiled to himself seeing his friend so happy, but that smile quickly faded when he noticed Megatron recording the ex-'Con. He got a sinking feeling about it that he didn't like.

Lori spotted him as well. : Are you planning to blackmail my boo?: She texted to the warlord.

: Oh, now you want to give me attention?: Megatron responded, casting a grumpy face at Lori.

: I'm not done with my nachos. Besides, the ghost pepper in it tried to kill me. You kinda slipped my mind.: Lori sent back.

: You forgot about me? Lori, I'm hurt.: Megatron added a pouting emoji.

: Oh, cut me some slack, ghost peppers are intense. They'd make your holoform sweat even.: Lori texted.

: Humans enjoy torturing themselves?: The warlord added the confused emoji. He'd never admit it to anyone, but he was mildly amused by the use of emojis.

: Batshit crazy people do. I don't know who put the ghost peppers in this. The jalapenos are hot enough.: Lori sent.

: You could have asked for them not to be added.: Megatron replied.

: If I'd know I would have.: Lori responded.

: Just hurry up, I'm bored.: Megatron added a clock emoji.

: You? Bored? Impossible.: Lori snorted. Megatron made a face at Lori from across the room. Soon enough, Barricade's solo ended, and another rock song faded in, " _I'm Alright_ " By Kenny Loggins. Lori happily jumped up to dance, beckoning the warlord. Megatron smirked and followed.

"You alone?" Lori asked and she just did some light footwork to the beat.

"Why do you ask?" Megatron replied as he spun around her.

"I'm just curious," Lori said defensively. Megatron raised a brow at her tone.

Elsewhere, Alexa drew upon the ambient energy in the atmosphere and made herself suddenly in Galloways office. She had a most unhappy glare on her semi-transparent face.

Galloway looked up from his computer. "You again?" He didn't seem phased.

"Yes, me again," Alexa grouched. "Your actions are bothering me quite a bit. I see no reason for your hatred of my daughter and her family. What did they ever do to you?"

"You're dead, why should you care?" Galloway asked. "Shouldn't you have moved on or something?"

"I don't know why I'm still here," Alexa admitted, "but I'm not just going to float around and watch you treat Lori and her family poorly."

"They're at fault for bringing their war here," Galloway said. "You and Ironhide are at extra fault for bringing an abomination like Lori into the world."

"Blaming us for something we had no idea would happen is bullshit," Alexa snapped.

"You can't do anything to sway me, you're dead," Galloway replied.

"You haven't answered my question," Alexa growled. "Why do you dislike the Autobots? They've done nothing to you."

"I don't need to explain myself to you!" Galloway yelled. "Just get out of here and leave me alone!"

"I won't tolerate your behavior toward those who have never done you harm in the first place," Alexa said angrily.

"Never did me harm!?" Galloway demanded. "Ha! Keep telling yourself that. Whatever keeps you existing."

"Enough of your bullshit!" Alexa replied.

"I don't fear ghosts," Galloway sneered. "Now will you please go away since I can't force you to!?" Alexa vanished with angry huff, but Galloway didn't flinch.

"Speaking of Prime, are you two officially an item?" Ironhide asked with a grin.

Elita giggled. "Of course we are. I don't care that I'll become a target by being his beloved, I love him dearly."

"Oh boy," Ironhide replied with a smirk. "It's amazing how much can change with just one femme around."

"He and I were a pair before he was a Prime," Elita explained, smiling at the memory. "He used to be so shy, but I swear that as soon as he set optics on me, hes was, as humans say, 'head over heels' in love."

"Was the feeling mutual?" Ironhide asked.

"Absolutely," Elita said, "simply because he was too shy to ask me out formally. It was utterly adorable."

"I'm struggling to picture a shy Optimus," Ironhide admitted.

"Oh, I'm sure," Elita said with a giggle. "But I do admit, Optimus is much more attractive now that he's got confidence."

"Ahh, okay, I don't need to know how attractive my boss is," Ironhide said. "Save that gossip for... oops... sorry Lita."

Elita couldn't help but laugh. "If only Arcee, Chromia, and Flare-Up were here. I know you were smitten with Mia." Now the femme was smirking.

Ironhide's cheek plates turned bright blue. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Don't deny it, 'Hide," Elita teased with a smirk. "We femmes know these things."

"Nah, y'all don't," Ironhide waved her off with a laugh. "You femmes like to act like you do, but you just like to gossip... though, what was Mia saying about me?"

"Last we spoke, she was just swooning over your fighting style," Elita replied. "She said it was really attractive."

Ironhide smiled a bit to himself. "She had her fair share of moves too. I wonder where she is, how she's doing..."

"I wonder the same, it's been sometime since we last spoke," Elita admitted. Ironhide shrugged at that. "I do hope she finds us... and you." Elita sai with a knowing smirk.

Thoughts about Chromia drifted through Ironhide's head. Thoughts he'd long forgotten about, and a shy smile found its way onto his face. "Yeah... that'd be pretty nice."

"Given that we heard Optimus's call, I'm sure she did too," Elita said with a sweet smile.

"I doubt it," Ironhide said with a half-hearted shrug. "Space is so vast and large, and they're probably busy with something else anyway. Besides, this base wouldn't be able to handle a bunch of femmes running around. Y'all cause trouble." He chuckled as he teased her.

Elita laughed warmly. "You know we keep you unruly mechs in line. You just like denying it."

"Now you're just making stuff up," Ironhide playfully jeered.

"You keep telling yourself that," Eilta teased. "Anyway, how's your daughter doing?"

"She's feeling better," Ironhide answered, looking relieved about it.

"Good to hear," Elita said. "She's a lot like you from what I've been hearing from others."

"Yep, she's my pride and joy," Ironhide said proudly.

"She must intimidate other humans," Elita remarked with a giggle.

"Just wimpy humans," Ironhide chuckled.

"I am impressed with their resourcefulness," Elita said. "I've never seen such a variety of vehicles."

"I'll give that to them," Ironhide admitted. "They're pretty creative little creatures."

"Can't I be curious?" Lori asked teasingly.

"You can," Megatron replied with a smirk, "But not about my Decepticons, only me."

"You're no fun," Lori said with a faux pout.

"I don't want you distracted by them," Megatron replied simply. "I want you focused on me... Though, are there any of my Decepticons you're curious about?"

"You did claim to have a medic," Lori replied, suspecting the one who approached her was probably a 'Con. "That true?"

"When did I say that?" Megatron asked, the memory escaping him.

"When I was texting you and told you my skeleton was metallic... when I'd broken my shoulder," Lori said. She spun so the fresh scar on her back was visible.

"Ah, I do have a medic and a scientist," Megatron replied. "Why do you want to know?"

"There was this guy, who is way overdressed for a place like this, who snarked about my food looking unhealthy," Lori said. "I suspect he was with you."

Megatron scowled at Knockout briefly. "Fine, you caught me. But couldn't come here all by myself and be totally outnumbered by all the Autobots here."

Lori rolled her eyes. "None of them even know I'm in front of you. I only brought them along because one, I'm not supposed to be alone, and two, the Twins would have raised hell on base and gotten us all in trouble with Optimus."

"I can't be too careful," Megatron grumbled. "This could have been a trap for all I knew."

"I'm hurt you'd think that I'd actually set a trap," Lori snarked.

"I don't know, you had the chance to get the Decepticon leader," Megatron said, his smirk returning. "Most would have seen the opportunity and taken it. Given that this wasn't a trap, I'll reward you for it." He let out a possessive growl, lust laced into the sound. "I'll even let you chose the reward for being a good girl."

Lori felt her blood run cold at that growl. "Uh... Let's just keep dancing okay?" Her voice had a nervous undertone.

"Don't be nervous around me, my dear," Megatron said as he danced much closer to her. "I won't 'hurt' you..."

"I don't think I can trust you..." Lori kept her moves less sexy and more intense so she could tire herself out and return home. She very much didn't like his tone or how he put emphasis on 'hurt,' it came off more along the lines of his full intention to hurt her.

"Why do you tease me so?" Megatron asked lustfully. "You only make me want you more by not giving me anything."

Lori intentionally fan-kicked close to his face and stepped back with a growl. "I know what you want, and you're not getting it!"

Megatron roughly grabbed her by the waist. "Try that again and you won't like what happens next!"

"Get your hands off of me, you freak!" Lori yelled it loudly before harshly shoving him away and storming back to her table.

"You okay, Lo?" Wheeljack asked, having been startled by her pissed off yelling.

"Yeah, yeah," Lori grumbled. "There's just some asshole on the dancefloor trying to get at me."

"Wish I could defend you without getting my ass handed to me," Barricade mumbled shyly.

"But we don't want that pretty tailcoat of yours ripped," Lori said, offering a smile.

"I found myself exploring their music as well," Elita said. "It's quite different than the music from home, but I find that I like it."

"Be careful about mentioning music around Jazz or Lori," Ironhide warned with a chuckle. "They could ramble about it for hours."

Elita laughed. "Oh, I've certainly learned my lesson with Jazz. I'm more curious about Lori's perspective, it seems far different."

"It's a lot different than Jazz's, but still good," Ironhide said. He continued to help the soldiers build new structures and repair older , less stable buildings.

"I don't give a damn what Galloway says," Lou spoke up as he welded some framing into place. "You guys haven't given any reason for us to dislike any of you."

"Hell, we've learned some wickedly badass fighting tactics," Another soldier, named Rick, added. "I've never felt so confident in my life!"

"That's very sweet of you to say," Elita told them with a warm smile.

"I dunno what his problem is," Epps piped up. "I tried defending y'all one time and he came back with that 'you're paid to shoot, not talk' line. Argh! He pisses me off."

"Too bad there isn't a good way to get rid of him," Lennox muttered with a sigh.

"Wouldn't that be great," Lou muttered.

"If he knew what we deal with, pretty sure he wouldn't be so much of a jackass," Rick said. The soldiers let out a "HUAH!" in agreement.

"I just hope we don't have to deal with more rude people than him," Elita said. "One is enough."

Megatron recovered from the shock of Lori shoving him and pursued her. He was more than willing to start a bar fight.

Lori noticed this. "Oh fucking lovely, he following. Someone go grab Uncle J. We gotta go. She sent a text to her father. : Need your help. Some asshole is trying to start a bar fight to get to me. At least send Ratch.:

: Hold on honey, daddy's coming.: Came the reply.

"Don't try to run from me, Lori!" Megatron snapped as she reached for her shoulder.

: Thanks a ton.: Lori caught Megatron in the jaw with a mean uppercut punch.

Wheeljack stepped between them. "Lori, you're ill, you're in no condition to be fighting."

Ironhide nodded as he growled. "Some jerk is messing with Lori, I'm gonna go kick his ass real quick. I'll be back!" He transformed and sped off. Lennox and Epps exchanged a look before jumping in a Humvee and following. Elita did as well, concerned.

"Oh that's it!" Megatron lunged for Lori, but was caught by Blackout. He demanded to be let go as he tried to swing at Lori.

"Not here," Blackout said gently before mouthing "go" to Barricade.

"Lori, come on," Barricade said gently, taking the hint. "Calm down. It's okay, babe..."

"No, it's not okay!" Lori snapped. "No one has the right to think they can have their way with me!"

Wheeljack got his arms around Lori to restrain her. "He's not worth it, Lo. He's not worth you having a coughing fit or worse." Jazz, Bumblebee, and the Twins came over to see what was going on. They quickly helped get Lori out of there. Lori kept trying to wrench out of their grip when she was hit by a bad coughing fit, one bad enough that it would have brought her to her knees if she hadn't been held up.

Barricade grabbed her phone and texted Ironhide. : This is Cade. You gotta bring Ratch now. Lori's having a bad coughing fit.:

: Don't you worry.: Not a moment later did they hear Ironhide's engine and several others. Hide had convinced several platoons to join him in roughing up the jerk who was messing with his little girl. Ratchet and Elita had followed as well.

Blackout was struggling to hold his pissed off leader back. The warlord's eyes were glowing with fury, but suddenly he calmed when he got a look at who all had arrived and realized nobody was on the Autobot base... except Optimus. A most evil grin crept its way across his face.

: Oh fuck... Optimus is alone!: Barricade texted from Lori's phone when he saw that everyone was here.

"Come on, hon, calm down," Wheeljack told Lori gently.

: ...frag...: came the response from Ironhide.

"Come on, Hide and Ratch are this way," Bumblebee said as he helped Wheeljack get Lori to move. Said hybrid hadn't been able to stop coughing, but she still looked royally pissed off.

[ _Don't worry, we can watch over Prime,_ ] Came a familiar voice over their comm link line. [ _You take care of your business._ ]

Ironhide's holoform took Lori from Wheeljack and surrounded her fully. "Lori?" He asked in concern.

"D...dad..." Lori struggled to say around her coughing. Her whole body was shaking from the force.

"Let's get out of here," Ironhide said, Bringing Lori to Ratchet.

"She came with Shadow," Wheeljack said. "Go on ahead. We'll be right behind you." Megatron took the opportunity to make his way to the base while the Autobots present were distracted.

Megatron had given his fliers the order to fly over the Autobot base and raze it with bombs. His ground forces were ordered to terrorize after the bombing run. The attack was narrowly held off by none other than Arcee, Chromia, and Flare-Up.

"Damn 'Cons," Chromia grumbled. "Of course they would attack when we let our guard down even a little!"

"Good thing we arrived when we did," Flare-Up said as she fended off a 'Con.

"I wonder what Prime is doing still sleeping?" Arcee asked when they weren't surrounded. A wave of ground troops gave chase on the three femmes but were held off with impressive skill.

"Flare, come with me," Chromia said in another break of fighting. "I've got an idea where Prime is, since he never sleeps like this willingly..." She and the purple femme made a beeline for medbay. Given the two were running, they rounded a corner rather fast and didn't have any chance to slow down when they saw Optimus running towards them. He managed to start skidding to a stop before the femmes ran right into him, knocking him to his back and down to the floor, the two landinging on top of him.

Optimus had several questions. "Chromia? Flare-Up? How did you-? When did you-?" He didn't get a chance to have his questions answered when Megatron himself rounded the corner. The warlord grinned at the sight of Optimus tangled under two femmes and took the opportunity to embarrass the Prime.

"Should I come back later?" He jeered. "You know, when you're done with your femmes. I've got to say, I never would have guessed you were even into threesomes." Optimus couldn't find words and the the femmes quickly scrambled up and drew their weapons.

"We're not letting you win," Chromia growled.

Still embarrassed, Optimus drew his swords and his battle mask to hide his burning cheek. He glanced at Chromia and Flare-Up. "And this is why I don't sleep, something like this always happens."

"Too late now," Chromis muttered as she charged, firing her machine guns.

"I'll handle Megatron, you two handle the others!" He charged the warlord as the two got outside. Optimus was stunned at the carnage outside. "Where is everybody!?" He was mercilessly attacked by Megatron. Optimus wondered what could have happened to put the corrupted mech in such a bad mood.

Ironhide and the others were racing back to base when they got stuck in rush hour traffic.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ironhide snapped angrily.

"We don't have time for this!" Ratchet flicked on his lights and sirens at full volume, clearing a path for everyone. Lori was with the medic and finally getting her coughing under control.

"Glad we didn't face this kinda slag on Cybertron!" Wheeljack joked.

Optimus figured this somehow had to do with Lori. Only she could have gotten everyone to abandon their posts like this. He wasn't angry with her, nor did he blame her, and he wasn't upset; he found it almost funny in anything. The Prime was rather distracted by Megatron and so didn't notice Whiplash stalking up behind him. Slipstream faced off with Chromia, throwing insults involving her and Elita as they fought. Brawl confronted Arcee, a fairly unfair fight if judging by height since Brawl towered over the femme. Blackout cross paths with Flare-Up, cursing softly; he wish Megatron would give him time to heal before dragging him into another battle.

The others had the base in sight, but were still too far away to start firing.

"Be a mech and fight!" Flare-Up jeered as Blackout dodged her attacks. Chromia and Arcee had their work cut out for them as they battled with Slipstream and Brawl.

"You don't know what I've gone through!" Blackout snapped as he swung at her with his rotor blades.

"I don't care!" Flare-Up backflipped out of the way and fired at the tall mech. Blackout charged. Chromia and Arcee were met with more ground troops and Starscream.

"Jet Judo!" The Lambo Twins declared and were suddenly on the seekers to give Chromia a bit of a break. Ironhide rammed into Brawl and began to duke it out with the large mech. Bumblebee and Jazz caught Blackout's arm before it could hit Flare-Up.

"I think I saw a 'Con at the club," Lori said hoarsely, rubbing her chest a little.

"And why didn't you say something sooner?" Ratchet demanded.

"It wasn't until I almost got into a fight at the club," Lori wheezed. "Fuck, my throat feels like it's on fire..." The CMO Screeched to a halt on the side of the road and activated his holoform.

"Tell me what's wrong," Ratchet ordered calmly but sternly.

"My throat hurts like hell, my chest is sore, and now I've got a headache," Lori mumbled weakly. Ratchet examined her in detail, not liking when Lori admitted it hurt when she took a deep breath and regretted eating nachos and drinking that Rockstar. He refrained from lecturing her about her poor choices while she was recovering from such a severe illness and began to treat her new issues.

"Thank you..." Lori's voice was still scratchy, but she laid back on the stretcher as her breathing began to be less painful.

"You ladies were gonna share the fun, right?" Wheeljack teased.

"Shut up, Wheeljack," Arcee grumbled.

Optimus's cry of pain stopped everyone short. He'd been fending off Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, and even Whiplash to give the humans the chance to evacuate the base, but now he was hurt, and badly so. He was holding his heavily bleeding side as as the 'Waves forced him to his knees as Megatron stood over him. Elita fired on the warlord as she hailed Ratchet over the comm line, begging for his aid, as Optimus was severely wounded. Megatron turned his attention to Elita.

"Elita my dear, I didn't know you were here too," He jeered with a smirk.

"I'm not your dear," Elita snarled. "Back off, you overgrown tin can!" Megatron grinned and advanced towards her.

"You're no match for me, my dear," he taunted and batted her fire away, getting ever closer.

Blackout snuck up on Bumblebee and Jazz, picked them up, smashed the two together and tossed them aside. The incapacitated bots fell the ground, cursing. Blackout fired a barrage of missiles and rockets at them, but Ironhide protected them and took the fire. The weapons specialist fell to his knees, growling in pain.

"Ironhide!" Chromia yelped and ran over to help him.

"Lori, you're going to stay here and rest," Ratchet ordered. "I'm needed on the battlefield. Shadow, Barricade, you keep watch on her with the NEST team." He took off to help Optimus, but was stopped short by Whiplash. "Uh oh... ahh... good boy? Stay? Sit?"

The olive drab Raptor stalked towards him with a snarling grin, but suddenly there was a flash of silver as Shadow attacked his "twin." The two were instantly in a rather nasty fight of flashing claws, hissing, roaring, biting, kicking, and even tail whipping.

Lori sat up, a slight case of the shakes affecting her body. "What the hell...?"

"Shadow! I said stay with Lori damn it!" Ratchet wanted to intervene, but he didn't want to get eaten alive by the two fighting Raptors in the first place.

"Shadow!" Lori yelped in a ragged voice. The silver Raptor grabbed Whiplash by the neck and threw him to the ground with a screeching roar.

Optimus greatly disliked Megatron being so close to Elita and fought against his captors with increased vigor... until Shockwave injected something in his neck to keep him down.

Ironhide looked up in a daze, not believing his audios. It couldn't be true... but yet it was. If he wasn't already on his knees from the pain, he'd have gone down anyway just at the sight of Chromia after so long. She looked so good to his weary optics.

"It's good to you too, big guy, but now is not the time for a sappy reunion!" Chromia helped Ironhide to his pedes.

"How is it that every time we meet, we're on a battlefield?" Ironhide weakly joked.

Bumblebee and Jazz had recovered, only to be engaged in a fight with Knockout and Breakdown... well... mostly Breakdown. Knockout was more zapping them with his electrified staff to avoid getting his paint job marred.

The ground shook under Shadow's feet before Scorponok burst through, swatting the silver Raptor off Whiplash. He swung his poisonous tail threateningly, making a growling noise. Shadow snarled in reply, his row of sharp back spikes and hip-mounted cannons extending out.

Ratchet took the opportunity of Scorponok and Whiplash being down to make his way to Optimus.

Lori fought a coughing fat and sat up further. "I've had enough!" Her eyes took on a blue glow and her forearm weapons tore out of her tattered bandaging. She aimed both at Scorponok and fired, the highly concentrated blasts throwing her off the stretcher, but launching Scorponok several feet through the air at the same time.

"Lori, stand down!" Lennox ordered. "This is their fight!" He and Epps helped her up and, with the help of the NEST forces, moved her farther away from the battlefield. They'd have gone in and provided help to the bots, but they didn't have any cover and would be vulnerable out there.

"This is my fight too!" Lori snapped. "My dad is in there!" What she didn't realize was that her arms were hanging limply at her sides, the force of her weapons having dislocated both of her shoulders at the same time. Lennox and Epps took in the sight of her shoulders with horror. They couldn't believe her Cybertronian half had done that to her.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Lori," Lennox assured. "There's more Autobots than Decepticons, so we actually have a pretty good chance this time."

"How can you say that?" Lori demanded. "We should be in there helping them! I can hold my own!" She tapped the heels of her boots against the frame of the stretcher she was on, and out snapped concealed blades.

Epps let out a startled squeak. "Damn, even more proof you're Hide's kid."

Lennox looked her in the eyes sternly. " _YOU_ will stay here. The rest of us are gonna help however we can, even though this isn't normally how we throw down with 'Cons. But _you_ aren't going anywhere. You're untrained, injured, and damn important to everyone here, so we can't have anything worse happen to you. Not only that, but the Decepticons still want you, remember? Staying out of their sight will keep them from coming over here and trying to get you again. You're a sitting duck with no bots here to protect you. Shadow was supposed to be here, but then that other thing showed up. So you're staying right here, understand?" He'd gone fatherly on her unintentionally.

Lori growled angrily. "Untrained? Untrained!? Do you know how many street fights I've gotten into!? Don't you see all my scars!? I know how to handle myself!"

"Street fights are not the same as war zones! Now you're staying and that's final!" Lennox snapped. He wasn't going to back down.

"Optimus!" Elita cried out again, backing away from Megatron and still firing on him. Optimus fought his way free and charged, only to get a knee to his horribly wounded side from Shockwave. Ratchet was suddenly firing on the Decepticon scientist to get him away from the wounded Prime. Ironhide and Chromia supported the CMO with fire as well. Chromia soon broke off and help Elita fend Megatron off.

Blackout took the time to fetch his mini-'Con, who wasn't really supposed to be out here, yet here he was.

Optimus felt terrible, but knew that neither femme could hold off Megatron for long. Only he, and maybe Ironhide if pissed off enough, could take on the warlord and survive. He forced himself to charge, one blade out, his other arm covering his wound, and managed to catch Megatron off-guard.

Ironhide and Chromia tag-teamed Brawl, Slipstream, and Starscream with a barrage of machine gun fire and Ironhide's myriad of missiles. Wheeljack was taking out a few Decepticon troops here and there with grenades, trying to aim for Breakdown and Knockout. Blackout then flew over to faced off with the Autobot inventor.

Whiplash attempted to get up, but Shadow slammed his foot down onto the olive drab Raptor's neck, making him cry out for help. Knockout heard the cry and redirected Breakdown to assist the Raptor. However Breakdown hesitated, but just in time, Blackout escaped from Wheeljack's attacks and went to Whiplash's aid. The helicopter mech released Scorponok to protect Whiplash, and turned his rotor blades on Shadow. Now it was Shadow's turn to cry out for help as he narrowly dodged the rotor blades. Ironhide heard the Raptor's cries, but was too far away for a direct attack. Instead, he went for Scorponok and Whiplash knowing the helicopter con had a soft spot for them. Just as expect, Blackout dove in front of them to guard them from the blasts and went down. Scorponok nudged his carrier, but the mech didn't respond. Whiplash charged at Ironhide, roaring.

Megatron was a bit overwhelmed by all the Autobots, but knew Optimus was weak. He made his move to finish off the Prime.

Lori made to shove Lennox out of the way, but her arms didn't comply. She yelped in horror.

"That's why I said you were staying!" Lennox said. "Now calm down!" He wished Ratchet was available to sedate her.

"Easier said than done!" Lori snapped, looking at her limp, useless arms in horror still.

"At least try!" Lennox yelled angrily.

"Will, we really gotta get her to a doctor," Epps said. "She's too vulnerable like this out here."

"I know," Lennox replied, "but trusting a human doctor with her is too risky for the doctors with her temper."

"Hey, Bucket-Head! Look up!" Suddenly Arcee was firing on him from above. The warlord fended off her fire, leaving his lower half unguarded. Chromia saw an opening and fired a rather unfair shot... one could say it was revenge for earlier. Megatron hunched over in agony, angrier than ever, but his wicked mind never stopped. He knew Shadow was away from Lori and ordered his forces to go after Lori now that she was unguarded.

"Note to self, never get Shadow this pissed off," Ironhide muttered as he defended himself against Whiplash. Seeing the other Raptor with such an angry expression was terrifying and he never wanted to see the silver Raptor this angry. Whiplash leapt into the air, but was promptly shot by Chromia and sent flying another direction. Ironhide smiled at her sheepishly. Afterwards, he ran to distract Shockwave so Ratchet could tend to Optimus.

The Autobot CMO helped Optimus to stand. "Can you hear me?"

"What happened to today being a quiet day...?" Optimus slurred. Elita took his hand in concern.

"Smart-aft," Ratchet muttered. "You're gonna recover just fine, at least you should if you're cracking jokes. Brace yourself, this is gonna hurt." He gave Optimus a large dose of counter-virus, as he wasn't sure what Shockwave had given him.

Optimus's optics widened when the pain hit him. "Frag!" He tightened his grip on Elita's hand unintentionally. Elita grimaced, but didn't try to free her hand. She only assured Optimus things would turn out all right.

"Shadow, heel!" Lori called sourly. The Raptor immediately ran to her side and curled around her, whimpering in concern at the sight of her limp arms. Starscream circled overhead, relaying the message that Shadow had return to Lori.

Megatron saw that Lori was guarded once more and took to the air angrily, intending to capture her himself. He knew he could handle the Raptor on his own, but it was only when he saw how beaten up and weak Lori looked did he hesitate. He didn't want to have to worry about her degrading heath when she was his hostage again. From his vantage point, he spotted Barricade. With a war yell, he dove at the ex-'Con, landing mere inches from him. Barricade was sent flying backwards from the force of the landing. Megatron caught him midair and gave a squeeze. Megatron decided now was the best time to exact punishment on Barricade for his betrayal as he took to the skies once more, out of Autobot reach.

"No!" Lori cried as she saw her boyfriend pulled into the sky.

"We really need a flying Autobot," Lennox said, running a hand through his hair.

"Give me one reason not to drop you to your death, pathetic human," Megatron sneered with a growl.

"Talking like you're not gonna drop me anyway," Barricade grumbled. "My only excuse is you'll ruin my tailcoat... Lori said I looked good in it..."

"I can't believe someone like you served under me!" Megatron growled. "You're a disgrace to the Decepticon name and our race!"

"I can't believe I though the Decepticons were noble!" Barricade snapped. "I'm glad Lori changed my perspective!"

"Noble?" Megatron scoffed. "You should have known killing isn't remotely noble, or are you that naive? If that's the case, I can see why you and Blackout became such good friends."

"I openly admit I'm naive," Barricade said, "but I'm learning."

Lori looked at the scene, tears filling her eyes. "This... This is my fault..." Lennox and Epps started to panic a little since they had no clue how to comfort Lori. Shadow whined and nuzzled her in an attempt to comfort her. Lori hung her head. "If I h-hadn't... t-taken everyone out to party... this wouldn't be happening... If I h-hadn't gone behind Optimus's back...!" Out of nowhere, Bumblebee's battle-worn holoform appeared. He gave Lori a hug, careful not to hurt her though.

"Hey, don't go blaming yourself," he told her. "You're not the reason the 'Cons are here, they must have seen us leave. It was our mistake, okay? Everything is gonna be fine, we just gotta find a way to safely get 'Cade down." He made sure Sam and Mikaela were safe too of course, since he was their guardian.

"Y-you don't understand," Lori whimpered. "when we ran to the house to get ready for tht bonfire party...I...I was conf-fronted b-by Megatron...every attack since has... b-been because I pissed him off. Th-that jerk at the club w-was him!"

Megatron glanced down as he heard Lori confess. He'd been listening in the entire time, and if he wasn't pissed before, he certainly was now! He angrily tossed Barricade aside as he dove for Lori. Bumblebee was frozen in shock and recovered too late, for Megatron was upon them that next instant. He grabbed Bumblebee by the throat, the mech's holoform vanishing with a yelp as he was hefted. He choked as his throat was crushed and he was thrown aside as well.

Megatron glared at Lori and Shadow, fresh energon on his claws. "You're going to pay for that confession."

"Not to you!" Lori snapped. Shadow thought quickly and propped up one of Lori's arms. Lori took the hint and fired at Megatron point blank, hitting Megatron squarely in the face. Lori was forced into Shadow's flank, and the sound of her shoulder framing snapping was horribly audible. Megatron roared in pain and staggered back, only to be tackled into a nearby building by an enraged Ironhide.

"That doesn't look good-" Optimus took a step, only to fall to his knee. Ratchet helped him back up. He kept Optimus back, as the leader was still too weak from energon loss and whatever Shockwave had hit him with.

The NEST soldiers had gotten a parachute opened up and caught Barricade without a moment to spare. Suddenly Blackout was looming over them, as the mech had come to and seen Barricade falling, but stopped when he saw the NEST soldiers catch him. The towering mech was silent.

Barricade blinked a few times before bursting out laughing like a madman. "Look! HAHAHA! My tailcoat didn't get ruined!"

Ironhide was ruthlessly attacking Megatron, and the warlord worked on defending himself... until Chromia came to support Ironhide. Knowing there was no winning this fight, he fled, calling off his forces.

 **A/N: I know, I know, that fight scene was janky. My excuse is some of those movie fight scenes were too so don't give me crap for it. It wrapped up good enough so feh!**

 **...Lori's fine by the way.**


End file.
